Never Too Late
by serenity's angel
Summary: After 4 years of running, Kaiyamei Hatake returns home to Konoha, ready to face and heal the wounds of her past. But is it easy to forgive and forget, especially when to comes to those who matter most? It's funny how the past can't actually stay that way.
1. Prologue

**Serenity Angel:** Hello Readers! Okay, just before you read the story I just want to point out that this is a **re-written version** of the story Never Too Late. So if this quite possibly looked a little familiar, that's why, although the part that you're about to read is entirely knew to the story. Long story short, I hated the old writing style and the lack of update, especially when this is a storyline I really hold dear. So instead of babbling on and all the like I give you Never Too Late!

**Enjoy!**

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_SLAP_

She winced as the sound replayed in her head, the throbbing pain of her reddened cheek pulsing again as if it had replayed the scene too. She closed her eyes in great effort to stop the memory from reoccurring, but that only helped it further. Another clap of thunder shook the sky, lighting flashing right behind it as rain from the opened heavens flooded the grounds of Konoha. This weather wasn't exactly normal for the village, nor was the depressing mood that floated around heavily like a dense fog, but that in itself couldn't be helped. Konoha was currently mourning one of it's best who have fallen, and was now laid to rest. But with that mourning laid great resentment and blame for his demise and there lied her problem.

She willed another sob away at the memory of that man, the pain greater than any physical hurt that she had ever felt in her life. It had become too much and apparently watching as his remains were taken to the family grave was the final breaking point for that woman.

Heh, woman.

It should have disgusted her with how effortlessly she was able to disown the true title of the woman who gave birth to her, but it was easily over shadowed by the body-numbing grief for the man that had loved and protected her all her life: the man that she called father. It was almost sickeningly befitting that his unwavering devotion to her ultimately let to his own untimely demise.

It was ironic really: She who was only at the tender age of eight, yet held the power that most shinobi's could only dreamed of, but was unable to call upon when she needed it most; when it was her turn to protect him. For that, she was blamed, and she-

No! She wouldn't do that to herself. Not now. She would rather die than give them the satisfaction of agreeing with them. That's why… that's why she was choosing a different approach. It was a choice, a choice that she was practically forced into, but was still deemed necessary, at least by herself of all people. It was because of this choice that she sat alone in her bedroom, trying to stay as silent as possible as she pulled another piece of clothing from the floor beside her and placed it inside the knapsack in front of her.

"_Kai?"_ A voice called. It was as soft as a whisper on the wind, startling her at first, but only for a moment. After all, she was used to that voice and would have heard it anywhere.

"_Not now, please anytime but now…"_ She said told the voice as she put the final piece of the pile beside her into the knapsack.

"_But… are you sure?"_ The voice asked. It was worried, the owner more than likely disagreeing with the choice she made but kept quiet on its opinion. She stopped at this, not yet having questioned this decision till _she_ decided to bring it up.

"…_Yes."_ Kai replied to _her_ and with a note of finality, closed the sack before her.

"…_Fine."_ She replied, quiet and reserved although Kai knew better. She knew that the other girl wanted to lash out at her with all that she had, but chose not to; for she knew she had no choice in the matter: Wherever Kai went, she went. She resided into the shadowy realms from which she came after that, resigning to speak when spoken to next time around.

Sure that she was completely to herself and wouldn't be interrupted again Kai got up off the ground with a deep intake of air, taking the knapsack with her. She went over to her bed and laid it there for a moment to pull on her black cloak. Picking up the pack again, along with a folded piece of parchment that had rested on the corner of her bedside table while she packed, she left the room, creeping down the halls toward the front exit of the house.

She knew every creak in those old floorboards, taking great care not to disturb them as she made her way. As if on instinct she stopped in front of one door in particular, turning her head slowly toward it. Steeling herself, she opened the door slightly, letting her eyes roam till she found what she was looking for. There on the tiny bed in the room laid her sister, only four years younger than herself. She was curled into herself a little hugging the stuffed doll her elder sister and father had bought her from a fair from one of the other villages, with her short little silvery white curls strewn about her pillow and her eyes closed, her tear-streaked face making it evident she had cried herself to sleep.

Biting her lip she closed the door and continued her path down the steps, past the living room and in the hallway. She made one final stop after that, as she took a Janome(1) from against the wall and looked back to the empty living room, only to see darkness stretch before her eyes, while her mind saw her father and his smiling face, grinning as he played with his children, his loving wife watching from afar. She turned away quickly, swallowing the lump in her throat while willing the memories away. With another deep breath she pulled the hood of her cloak over her head and opened the front door, closing it behind her silently and walking away from her house on to the sodden streets. Once far enough away she opened her Janome, trying to retain some semblance of heat by staying dry.

The streets were empty, the rest of Konoha's citizens wise to stay indoors on a night with such bad weather. It just made this all the more easier for her. The streetlamps were barely visible but she knew were she was going by heart, so it really didn't matter. She had two stops to make, the first closer than the other, and then…

She sighed, taking to the rooftops, careful not to slip in any puddles. In no time at all she had reached her destination stopping on a rooftop next to an apartment building, the rooftop overlooking the window of one apartment in particular. This window had no curtains, the tenant finding truly no need for them, but it made it easier for her to watch the tenant, despite the hard rain making the image blurry. He had settled down for the night as well, his sheet haphazardly wrapped around him and his face emotionless with sleep, which was unusual. Was he that effected by the man's death too? Did he feel that he lost someone of great importance? If that was the case, what would he think about what she had decided, without even telling him? How would he feel about what she was in the middle of doing? Her, who he trusted and cared for… His best friend in the whole world… Could he accept this choice as much as she did?

She hated herself for the fact that she knew what the answers were and still planned to go through with her decision.

"Please forgive me." She let out in a whisper that was carried off by the wind.

After a moment more she was off, reaching her second destination faster than the first. She looked up at place, a building, the top being hidden by her Janome and with a deep breath made her way to complete her objective in this building. She found it quite easy to slip in, only the few random stragglers lighting some small corners in the building. They didn't notice her, wouldn't have anyway, too busy with making up work or drowning sorrows in Sake bottles they had in hidden compartments of their office. It was almost eerie how quiet the place was, as if the building itself knew that there was a loss to mourn. She ignored this thought as she stopped in front of a dark wooden door. She felt for any chakra signals or potential traps and once she found none, made quick work of the lock and went into the office behind it.

She didn't bother turning on the light, the lightning from the outside providing enough illumination from behind the blinds for a few seconds to point out the simple oak desk in the room. She walked to it slowly; like she was walking to the guillotine through quicksand, though this was hardly as dramatic. It was just walking to a desk and potentially destroying her life forever. She skimmed her fingers along the surface once she'd reached behind it, careful not to disturb any paperwork currently resting on it. Taking out the piece of parchment she had from earlier she swallowed the lump in her throat before laying it simply in the middle of the desk closer to the office chair. She half expected the lights to turn on and people to rush out of no where, demanding to know what she was doing, but nothing happened. The room stayed as ordinary as it was once she had entered, and continued to stay that way as she made her way out.

Her knees almost buckled under her after she had closed the door but she steeled herself again and exited the building quicker than she had entered. She didn't bother to put up her Janome this time, letting the rain soak her coat, the liquid soon making quick work to the skin underneath. She ran though the streets, memorizing every twist and turn, smell and blur; stopping short once she had reached the gates of the village, her heart following her feet's movement for the barest of seconds.

Was she really going to do this? Could she? Was this too bold a choice? In answer to these questions the last few days passed by, people, actions, sounds, and guilt included, the thoughts bringing her to hang her head.

"_It would be better this way."_ She thought.

Without so much as a glance back she walked through those gates and left the village, willing herself not to stop or turn around. She let the rain fall freely around her, masking the tears running unchecked down her cheeks and covering the tracks she made into the dark, cold, lonely, and horrible night.

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**Serenity Angel:** Well that's the prologue. Hope you guys liked! The first chapter's gonna be out soon so look out for that! If you have any questions please feel free to PM or leave it in a review! Thanks!

(1) Janome-A traditional Japanese rain umbrella


	2. Homecoming

**Serenity Angel:** Hey readers! So if you didn't read the memo in the prologue, this is just a reminder that this is a re-written version of my story Never Too Late. Hope you liked the prologue and hope you'll like the first chapter, so without further ado… The new and improved first chapter of Never Too Late!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto or its characters except Kaiyamei Hatake and others that will be introduced as the story goes on.

**Enjoy!**

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_**Four Years Later**_

**Normal P.O.V.**

She looked at the majestic sight in front of her. Only a few more minutes till she reached the village. Her village. The home she left behind. It still felt like she never left, but time said otherwise. So did the memories that were etched into her mind. The reasons she ran away… Now looking back, the decision seemed almost pointless. _Almost._ She was a shinobi of the Leaf village. She had to stand up and take whatever was thrown at her. She only hoped that there was time to make up for what she did, and hoped that those she had left behind had forgiven her. She prayed it wasn't too late. She sighed at the thought, pulling her hood up and heading towards the gates of Konoha. Upon reaching the entrance, the guards that where at watch saw her and stood at the ready.

"Who are you? State your purpose for being here." One stated.

That voice. She remembered it from the old days. She stopped in front of the two shinobi and turned to the one that had spoken.

"So you finally made it huh?" She asked him. She lifted her head up enough so that he could see what hid underneath the hood and as soon as he saw her face, his eyes widened in shock.

"No way." He mumbled, unable to say anything else. The other guard, thinking there was trouble brewing, started yelling for reinforcements.

"New guy huh?" She asked sparing a sideways glance at the other guard.

He answered with a sheepish yes and then called off the order.

"Don't you dare follow that order! Let her through! She is of this village." He yelled to the shinobi that were starting to take action. They faltered, looking at each other before looking back at the gates. Some merely shrugged and they all went back to their posts. She smiled at him and went in the general direction of the gates. Before passing through however, she lowered her face and then turned to the second shinobi. He may not have known who she was and vice versa, but there was no way she was gonna let him get away without making up for the almost slaughter.

"Hey you. For almost causing trouble I need you to do something for me. Go tell old man Hokage that he's gonna have a visitor from the past." She said, her voice a couple of tenor's lower than usual. The other shinobi heard this voice and almost laughed, remembering when she would use it in the old days. The second shinobi looked at her, eyebrow raised and eyes narrowed, a sneer forming on his lips.

"And why should I?" he asked smugly. She wasn't even given the opportunity to answer, for the first shinobi had turned to him, nothing but anger on his face.

"Because she outranks you idiot. Now go deliver the message!" Answered the first, pointing toward the village.

The second shinobi left obviously hurt in pride and she turned to the first and smiled at him, although he couldn't see.

"I knew there was why you were one of my favorites. Always knew when to get serious. See ya around." She said doing a military salute wave-off.

She left the shinobi guard smiling as she walked into the village. She looked around almost faltering a step. It was as if nothing had changed with time. Pulling her hood down a little lower she made her way to the Hokage's office. She looked at the busy streets and store owners. Practically no one had changed either. They just got older. Even old Mr. Ichiraku's ramen stand was still going strong. She watched some young kids pass by and smiled, remembering when she and her friends didn't have a care in the world. She saw so many familiar faces that it was hard not to stop them and talk, yet there was that underlying feeling to go run and hide, but the feeling that dominated most was the one that wanted to talk to the Hokage first. It was her main priority for the day.

She started to walk faster in order to not get sidetracked again, taking a path similar to the one she used to leave- a fact that she didn't dwell on- and found herself there in practically no time at all. She made her way stealthily through the building, not taking the main entrance for she wanted to make sure that it would be the Hokage she saw and talked to first. It was all too easy and almost pissed her off that no one was around. There wasn't even a trap for his door... Still.

She sighed and walked into his office and seeing that he wasn't there yet, made herself comfortable. She pulled off her hood, taking off her cloak all together. She took her long, light-brown tinted white hair out of its messy bun and let it cascade around her, falling to a little below mid-back while plopping down on one of the random pillow seats that the Hokage kept in his office and waited, happy to get off of her feet after such a long journey. She let her gaze sweep the room, taking in everything and comparing it with her memories.

It was always like him to change almost nothing. The same desks and his favorite paintings still hung on the walls. Some new pictures graced the room with the old, making it the only change. She smiled, happy that so far things were the same, but the little voice in the back of her mind told her what she already knew: It wouldn't last.

Soon enough she picked up some chakra levels heading to the room. Voices began to waft from the hallway and as they got louder the door opened. In walked the third Hokage, closing the door behind him and permitting no one else to enter. Not noticing that she was there he went to the windows and opened the shades, letting the setting sunlight come in. He stood there looking out the windows, apparently lost in his own thoughts. She smirked even though it had a nervous edge to it, and decided to be nice when greeting him. After all, they hadn't seen each other in a really long time.

"Hello old man. Long time no see." She said jolting him out of his thoughts.

He turned and looked at her in the shadows of the room. She stood and walked towards him as he turned toward her fully. His face was devoid of any emotion as he stared at the girl, whose face held the same mask. She took a few more steps forward, bowed and then, at that moment, he smiled. When she was upright again, she ran and hugged the old man, not really having the ability to help her actions He embraced her back warmly, a short deep-throated laugh emitting from his lips.

"It has been a long time, Kaiyamei Hatake." He said.

"Humph. I thought I asked you to call me Kai! " She said pulling back and pouting though she was happy he was so easily accepting of her being there.

"Hah, yes you have. But it has been a while since then hasn't it?" he said tilting his head slightly.

"True Sarutobi, so very true." She said smirking. She was practically the only one that had the guts to call him something other than 'Hokage'. He narrowed his eyes at her but let out a snort, shaking his head a little.

"Well let me look at you child. You have grown much since I saw you last. How old are you now? If my memory still serves me, you should be about 12 or so correct?" He asked as she did a slow 360 for him.

"Yes old man, I am. It's only been four years." She said chuckling herself, despite the pang of guilt that flitted through.

"Ah true, but that is still too long child. Tell me, how have you been?" he said leading her toward his little sitting area.

They spent some time catching up on old memories and what either had missed during the absence in each other's life, though she was keen on editing some parts. Kai almost immediately felt that she had never left, that she was only trying to take a short break from her usual daily shinobi (well kunoichi) duties, like when she was younger. She had always liked speaking with the old man, who had treated her as equally as the adults and unlike the child she was like everyone else, even with her out-ranking most of them.

There was a quiet, peaceful lull in their conversation after a while, until the Hokage decided to break it.

"So Kai, what do you plan on doing now that you have returned home?" he asked taking a drag on his pipe.

She stayed quiet for a while, not looking at him and choosing the words to answer his question carefully. She truly had been thinking about what she should say; if she should come out with everything right then and there, but knew that was too much information at one time. When she had in mind what she wanted to say, she looked up at him with serious determination set on her face.

"I made a mistake in running away the first time. I won't do it again twice. I need to face whatever they throw at me, so I plan on staying. I didn't come back all this way just for a quick visit and to disappear again Sarutobi." She answered.

"Is that so?" he said and looked at her.

"Yes. That is so." She said absentmindedly playing with a lock of her hair. He was quiet for a while, letting what Kai said sink in. After a long moment of thoughtful silence, he looked at her and smiled.

"Then, if you don't mind, I think I may already have a job for you." He said, standing up from his chair and calling one of the shinobi into the room. He whispered something to him, letting the shinobi disappear from the room once he had made his request.

"You came home just at the right time. The new genin are going to meet their sensei tomorrow. Your job would be to help the new Genin with their designated sensei, teaching them a thing or two along the way as well." He said standing up.

"Really? You're serious?" she asked, shocked that she was being given a job to do already, especially one such as this. He nodded his head yes and she thought about it for a moment before reaching her answer.

"Yes of course I will!" She said and just as she had agreed, the shinobi came back with a few books in hand.

He gave them to the Hokage and whispered something in his ear. The Hokage nodded his head and dismissed the shinobi, beckoning Kai over to a table.

"These are the children that passed the academy this year. Remember only three teams will go on, but still I think you would want to know your potential new students..." He said passing the books over to her.

"Oh and if I were you, I would think that you are wondering about your rank… After all, being an ANBU of your high skill level isn't a position one can acquire easily, especially under your conditions..." He said turning toward the windows again.

She froze and looked up at the Hokage with a solemn expression on her face. He always had a hand at knowing his people. Plus, she didn't exactly leave under the best of situations that would put her in a good position right now. She swallowed the small lump in her throat as she waited for his judgment.

"…Due to the circumstances and the possible reasons that I think are behind your disappearance, the real ones I'm sure I will be told of soon, I believe we can say that you're not considered a rouge. You still have your rank. If you want, consider this job with the new Genins a means of making up for running away." He said looking back at her and smiling.

She returned a small smile, relieved. This man was a true saint! She vowed right then and there to work hard with these kids, making them some of the best to come out of the academy, if not the best generation the village had ever seen. She nodded to him in thanks, unable to voice it and then began to look at the books. She knew practically everyone in there, the faces having grown older. As more pages were turned, she began to see faces that showed up a lot in her memories.

"No way, Shikamaru, and Choji made it?" She asked looking at him. He nodded his head yes and she looked to the book again.

"Sakura. It figures she would. She was always a brainy kid. Ino. They were the best of friends growing up. Bet they still are." She said turning the page.

"Kiba and Akamaru, what a team there… Shino, He was always quiet. Definitely a potential shinobi though, even without his family background." She said turning to the next page and looked at it.

"No way! Hinata made it too? That's great! Hope she's not as shy as she used to be." Kai said grinning again, and then looked at the next name and her smile immediately vanished.

"Sasuke… I heard about the Uchiha tragedy. Not too long after I left… I can't believe it happened though. I may have not known Itachi all that well, but what he did… Sasuke must be so angry all the time." She with a sigh, shaking her head at her thoughts as she let her eyes linger on the page a little longer. She started skimming the pages after Sasuke's own, offering little pieces of information when she saw someone she knew. After a while her eyes stopped at the weirdest looking picture there. She read the name under it and the shock almost made her eyeballs pop out of their sockets.

"Naruto Uzumaki? Really? He made it? Yes!!! That's my Naruto!" She said jumping up and pumping her fist in the air.

"Only after failing two times... Well technically three... And even then Iruka gave him low scores. He's a trouble maker, that one. But he made it... Would you want to know how he passed?" the Hokage asked. She nodded her head yes and sat back down.

"Well you know Mizuki correct?" He asked and she nodded her head again.

"Naruto had not passed at first and Mizuki tricked the boy into getting the forbidden scroll for him. Iruka had gone after the boy and found him but so did Mizuki. Mizuki told Naruto the truth and tried to kill him. Iruka became involved as well and made Naruto run while he tried to battle Mizuki. One thing led to another and when Mizuki was about to kill Iruka, Naruto stepped in and saved him, using shadow clones… Or so I've heard…" He said taking another drag of his pipe, watching the expression on her face after saying the final statement which went from a hint of skepticism to confusion and slight bewilderment in seconds.

"Shadow clones? You mean the Jonin level ninjustu?" He nodded his head affirmatively.

"And when you said the truth you mean…" She said stopping short of finishing the statement and he just sighed.

"Yes… He knows that the nine-tailed fox is sealed inside of him." Her eyes widened slightly at this and she looked down at his picture in the book, and then turned to the Hokage.

"He was bound to find out anyway. You know that. It was inevitable. Especially with the way the villagers treat him." She said with seriousness on her face and a hint of anger in her voice. He sighed staying silent, almost expecting her reaction.

"True though it maybe Kai, I thought it would still be a while yet before he was to have learned the truth." He said after a short moment of silence, looking out the window.

"Nothing comes out the way we planned, now does it? I thought you of all people would now that old man." She said solemnly, letting the room grow quiet afterward.

The sun had set and dusk had came and past. It was well into the night and half the town was already asleep. It was calm and quiet, a rare occurrence in the Hokage's office. A knock broke that silence in the room. The Hokage gave the person permission to enter. She had turned her attention back to the books, until she heard the person's voice.

"You had wished to see-" She froze, looking up from the book. She turned to the door to see someone she hadn't seen in what felt like a lifetime, only to find that someone looking back at her, his eye wide with shock.

"Ah Kakashi, what kept you?" The Hokage said turning fully toward the man.

"A mission." He managed to blurt out. The Hokage looked from Kai to Kakashi then to Kai again.

"I believe you two have some catching up to do… Kaiyamei you are dismissed. You begin tomorrow morning at the academy." He said as she got up.

"Yes Hokage." She said with formality in her voice, bowing. She grabbed her belongings and walked out into the hallway, passing Kakashi by the door without looking at him. He was about to follower her, but the Hokage requested to have a word with him and he stayed behind.

She let herself lean on the wall opposite the Hokage's office door, letting herself think of her current situation. Of all the people for the Hokage to call on, he picks that man. There would either be Hell to pay, or a lot of explaining to do. She couldn't help but feel grateful though, letting out a small smile at the feeling. She couldn't bear the thought of him calling _her_…

The door suddenly opened a few seconds later, Kakashi walking out and closing the door behind him. He turned around toward her and without warning she practically jumped him, catching him off guard. He hugged her back all the same and could help but let a long overdue, relieved smile through his mask.

"Uncle Kakashi." She murmured, burying her head into his chest.

"Kai… Welcome back." He said hugging her tighter.

They stayed like that, saying nothing more, many an unspoken emotion thick in the air. They pulled back and looked at each other, Kai giving him a small smile before walking with him to the exit of the Hokage's building. A soft wind blew pass once they where outside and she smiled moving a lock of hair out of her face before silently falling into step with Kakashi. They didn't talk for a while, enjoying the fact of being in each others company. Plus it had been four years. What could that say after all that time? Could they let everything come out that very instant on the street? She hoped not. Hell, she was grateful that there wasn't the least bit of tension between the two of them right now.

She let the cool air from the night blow across her face again, letting her mind wander back to the past she wished she could forget. A past that had its roots set deep in her mind and had been the controlling factor for her decisions for a full four years. A past that, though she had decided to finally face, still haunted her and wanted her to make the decision to keep on running. After all this time it still hurt too damn much, the wounds still cut too deep into her soul. It was to be expected, naturally… but she had hoped that the pain would only be dull ache now after so long. The village she could handle with most of its occupants and all of its scorn, she knew that now, though she wished she knew that back then… But she hadn't really begun to think of facing _her_ yet… _She_ was far worse… Worse than the pain of the memories, worse the pain of loss, worse the pain of what she did…

"How bout sleeping at my place tonight? I don't think you'd want to bother your mother and sister at this time of the night." He said, bringing her out of her musings.

She nodded her head though her smile had faded a little. He let a beat of silence stretch between them.

"We'll talk tomorrow. I bet you're tired." He said pretending he didn't notice the falter in her smile.

"Yeah kind of." She answered almost in an absentminded manner.

He noticed this as well, but chose not to comment, and they walked in silence the rest of the way. They had reached his apartment in a matter of thirty minutes, the night quiet besides their soft footfalls. They walked up to the apartment quietly and quickly, making sure as to not disturb the other tenants and wanting to get inside as soon as possible now that they where there. Pulling out the key to the apartment, he opened the door and flipped the light switch on, illuminating the moderately sized living room.

It was the same as it had been four years ago and as spacious as ever for just one man to own. It was spotlessly clean, maybe even cleaner than before. A couch and sofa faced the T.V. and the window behind it. A few pictures hung here or there. The only thing different was that there were more books on the bookshelves as well as another picture or two. She could see the kitchen from where stood as well, all neat and orderly. She smiled at this, and the fact that her mind hadn't suppressed the memory of her second home.

"Welcome home… You remember where your room is right?" He said moving past her.

"You still kept it?" She asked, surprised and following him with her eyes.

They had made a room for her in Kakashi's apartment for the times that he would baby-sit or, as she got older, slept over when she wanted to, or when she couldn't make it home from weariness after a long mission. She had kind-of half expected him to turn it into that reading room he had always wanted; despite the fact she knew that he was lazy.

"Well you are my niece Kai…" He said looking back at her before heading toward the kitchen. She couldn't help but get the feeling that he was holding something back after that statement, but chose to stay quiet rather than ask that he say what he wanted.

"You hungry?" He asked heading toward the fridge and she thought about it for a moment.

"…No, I'm going to go to bed. We seem to both have a busy day tomorrow. Good night Uncle Kakashi." She said hitching her pack higher on her shoulder and heading down a hallway.

"Good night Kai." he said smiling, or at least she thought so from what she could tell from his one-eyed expression.

She headed down the hallway and stopped in front of a door that still had her name written on it in that neat spidery scrawl, though the paint at faded a little with time. She took one breath with her eyes closed before opening it, flipping on a light switch and closing the door behind her. She opened her eyes to see that everything was practically the same. The same sea blue color that happened to be her favorite, with little flower decals still posted to the walls. There was still that one corner filled with stuffed animals, pillows and toys from the old days. She could bet that if she opened her closet and drawers, her clothes were still there too.

The only thing was that the bed had gotten bigger. She guessed that he had changed it while she was away, and maybe, on his part, hoped that she would come back one day… She bit her lip to quell the rush of emotion at the thought that someone was still expecting her to come home, thinking back to what he had stopped himself from saying... The fact that somebody had missed her. Well she was back and she wasn't going away again. No more would the past rule how she lived. What kind of kunochi was she? A true shinobi would stand their ground, no matter what was thrown at them and go down fighting. She had fought hard to get where she was, to become what she was by her own standards and no one else's, to be as strong as and respected as she was, only to run when the going got tough?

She yawned suddenly in her musings, the journey finally getting to her. She shook her head, deciding to deal with her self issues later, much, much later. She changed into shorts and a tank quickly and slowly sank into the bed.

A **real **bed.

How long had had it been she had gotten to experience this? Obviously way too long. She had expected to stay up a little while longer, with all the thoughts still buzzing around in her head. To her surprise she fell asleep within minutes, feeling more at home than she had in years.

'~To Be Continued~'

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A/N: Well that's the first chapter rewritten. Tell me what you think please!


	3. Orientation

**Serenity Angel:** Hey guys!! Here's the next chapter! Hope you guys like! Also hope it was that much of a wait. Well, enjoy!!!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto or its characters except Kaiyamei Hatake and others that will be introduced as the story goes on.

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**Kai's P.O.V.**

The memories of years past filled my head as usual when I went to sleep. The better and happier times, and even when I was just starting out as a kunoichi of the leaf village. Soon a buzzing noise filled the dream, drowning out voices of laughter and fun. It soon turned into a beeping noise and I tried to cling to the land of slumber, but I was pulled into reality by the freaking alarm clock buzzing on the table next to my bed. I can't believe I still remember that sound. Believe me the years were better without it. The first morning rays were beginning to slowly light the sky as I opened my eyes and the alarm clock grew louder with every blink I took. Finally letting the sound get to me and not really wanting to know what time it was, I smashed the alarm clock with my fist, the room going back into peace and quiet mode. I smiled at the silence, pulling my covers closer to me.

"Still not a morning person, are you?" I heard some ask.

I turned to the door to see Kakashi fully dressed and leaning on my doorframe. He raised his visible eyebrow in question and I knew he was smirking under that mask. I turned fully toward the door and sat up. I couldn't help but smile at him and stretch, shaking my head in the negative to his question.

"What time is it?" I asked yawning.

"Six in the morning." He said and I almost choked on my yawn.

"Ah. Brings back old memories. Morning drills and training, wanting to murder the person who woke me up. Good times." I say getting up and cursing to the depths the person who created the alarm clock.

I got up and stretched some more, grabbing a pullover from my pack and putting it on, following Kakashi who had headed to the kitchen.

"Well, I made some breakfast for you." He said motioning to the kitchen table that had a spread fit for a king.

"You still know how to cook." I said mock gasping although I was thoroughly impressed. He didn't need to go through all this trouble for me.

"And you're still not funny." He said in a tone similar to mine. He laughed afterward and mussed up my hair when I walked pass.

"And yet you laugh!" I say as I tried swatting his hand out the way but I only caught wind. I sat down, thanking him before I started eating.

"Well it can't be helped." He said, taking a seat himself. Out of the blue he pulled out a kunai and another tool to sharpen it. I stared at him, my mouth filled with food.

"Oh my God. You're just like dad. What is with you and sharpening your kunai and shuriken around the table?" I said.

"Don't say anything. You picked up the habit too." He said looking at me, before going back to his task. A comfortable silence stretched between us, him cleaning his weapons and me eating.

"Well aren't you going to eat?" I asked truly curious. He wasn't going to sharpen kunai the whole time I ate, was he?

"I already did." He said grinning at me with that damn mask on. Apparently he was. Then again it didn't stop any of us before… I shook my head smiling at him.

"I don't know why you hide your face from me." I said before really thinking about it. I felt the corners of my mouth begin to tug down.

"I've seen your whole face before, remember?" I say quietly, staring but not really seeing.

He stopped and then looked at me solemnly. I didn't let my eyes meet his. I, for one, wasn't ready to talk about it yet, because that one time I saw his face was under the worst circumstances anyone could ever be in. I mean I just got back, I'm not gonna spill my guts or talk about what happened the second day. I ate in silence for a while, but when I couldn't take it anymore I decided to change the subject. I looked at him. He had started his sharpening again a few minutes ago.

"So… who do you have for a team?" I say trying to act casual.

"Well, wouldn't you like to know?" He said a smirk forming as he kept sharpening his kunai.

"Please?" I asked giving him a puppy dog pout. I didn't give a full blown pout, really didn't want to overwhelm him. He looked at me and stopped his task for a moment, leaning toward me a little.

"You will find out later." He said with a grin, his eye closing with the expression. My face dropped and I gave him a 'you're-a-dumbass' look.

"Meanie." I said sticking my tongue out childishly. I didn't care, it was six in the morning for crying out loud. He only chuckled at me.

"Finish eating. You have to be at the academy before me." He said and I almost let out a snarky laugh. It wasn't like he was going to be _on time_ anyway.

"Ok, ok." I said, picking up the speed a little.

I finished eating in no time at all and headed back to my room to change into some regular clothes, which reminded me, I kind of needed to do a little shopping. I'm not really one to do the girly shopping trips, but I still had stuff from when I had originally run away at eight. So, yeah, I think it was safe to say it was a little overdue for a little self-indulgence. I searched my bag thoroughly, looking for clothing that could fit me and wasn't torn to shreds, blood spattered, or overly dirty. After a good thorough search I managed to find something.

I threw on a light blue sleeveless kimono top that a little floral border along the bottom edges and slits on the sides and I tied the strings that came with it into a bow on the left side and wore a black spaghetti-strapped top underneath. I also put on a black mini skirt with zippered pockets and slits on the sides that make it easier to fight in, and navy blue leggings that stop above my knee underneath that. I put on a black leather wrist band on my right hand along with a short navy blue elbow band and a black leather band high on my right shoulder to hide my ANBU tattoo. Yes I did get the tattoo. I don't know why adults complained about getting it, the process really didn't hurt all that much. Chickens...

I strapped weapon pouches onto the back of my skirt and both of my legs, the left having the standard issue and the right having a small almost hardly noticeable one, since I'm ambidextrous, though I tend to use my left more with regular tasks. I also put on a fingerless glove with an iron guard on it on my left hand and last but not least I put my headband on my forehead, its placement usually varying with the day. I let my bangs fall over my headband and leaving my hair out, I ran out my room, pulled on my standard issue sandals and told Kakashi I'd see him later before leaving the apartment and heading to the academy.

I took a back road to the academy in order to not be seen by anyone as of yet. I had actually made it in pretty good time, which kinda made me regret waking up so early. I slipped into the building quietly, walking slowly and taking in the memories that came back when I was in this place. Some things had change a little bit from the time I had been a student here, but the memories never did. One memory that happened to stick out in particular when I passed a certain class room was when I "accidentally" blew it up with my classmates and the substitute teacher still inside. I think because of that, it was the only room to have a complete make-over. I smirked at the thought, letting out a slight chuckle before continuing on to the classroom Kakashi said Iruka would be in.

I found Iruka sitting at his desk in the front of the classroom, pouring all his interest into a clipboard. I smiled and walked into the room watching him until I felt it was time to make my presence known.

"Still a perfectionist Iruka-sensei?" I asked making him jump and look up startled. It soon turned into shock and was suddenly replaced with a smile as he got up from the desk, leaving the clipboard on the surface, walking away from it and toward me.

"Well I'll be damned. So that rumor going around is true… Look who came back to Konoha!" He said smiling and putting his hands on his hips.

"Nice to see you too Iruka." I say walking the rest of the way to where Iruka stood and hugged him. He hugged me back chuckling.

"Been a long time Kaiyamei." He said, before letting go to look at me.

"Still not used to calling me Kai, eh?" I say looking it up at him.

"Well it _has_ been a long time… and you used to be one of my academy students." Iruka said scratching the back of is head.

"So true… But look, student as surpassed teacher! " I said in a semi-mocking tone.

"Heh heh, funny." He said sarcastically, making me smile. He just rolled his eyes before looking back at me smiling.

"So the Hokage filled me in that someone was coming today, though he didn't specify who and now I know why. But-" He said pausing and moving towards his desk.

"He did ask that you do a favor for him." He said as he rummaged through the desk before pulling out a set of clothing that I noticed was the standard Chunin/Jonin uniform.

"I think it's your size… Oh and this comes with it." He said pulling out a set of bandages from somewhere behind him. I looked at it before realizing just what the Hokage was thinking.

"Wait… you mean he wants me to… Oh no…. What for?" I asked, more curious than annoyed.

"All he wants is for you to sit and observe." He said.

"He wants me to play the no identity gag so I can observe them?" I ask skeptically. I can do that just fine without being in the room being a ninja and all. He let out a short laugh at my skepticism and looked at me.

"And of course for them to observe you. To see how sharp their skills are and how close they really were to the truth. The other Jonins and I will be with the Hokage-" He started but I cut him off.

"Watching through the freaky glass ball thing?" I ask finishing for him.

"Yeah." He said and I looked up at the ceiling deciding on an answer. Finally I sighed and looked at him.

"Fine. I'll do it." I said taking the clothing and bandages from him.

"So what should I expect?" I asked as I tucked the clothing underneath my left arm.

"Depends… How high are your expectations?" He said with a raised eyebrow.

We talked a bit about the students and a bit of gossip that was going around town. Soon however we decided to get ready for the arriving students and I had promised him I'd get with him later to talk about things we both did and where I had traveled when I was gone. He left the room with a puff of smoke and I made my way to the girl's bathroom to change in the outfit. I changed quickly and made sure that my head was wrapped up like a mummy's before exiting, stashing my clothes where Iruka told me to. I made my way back to the classroom, putting my headband around my neck before I sat on the desk with one knee up to my chest and an arm around it, while the other leg was left to swing freely.

The best thing about these bandages was the fact that I could see as clear as day while the students could see nothing. So of course half out of boredom and half out of wanting to get away with it I made faces at the first few early birds that came in. They looked at me sitting there, but said nothing as they took their seats and waited for their friends to come into the class. They had really grown up and some of them I didn't even fully recognize without having to think about it hard for a good minute. It felt a little weird, to know that I was supposed to be sitting with them only to have graduated before them, to know that I was stronger than all of them combined. I didn't dwell on the fact long though, I was still evaluating the group and the classroom was beginning to fill. As it did, Sasuke Uchiha came in, a bored expression on his face and the female student body that was present suddenly becoming giddy fangirls, point, whispering, and stealing glances at him. It made me want to gag. Why did so many girls go gaga over one boy? Jeez have some pride! Studies before boys! Or else your ass is gonna get handed to you on that battlefield!

I watched the Uchiha as I had my little mental rant, sizing him up. He was known as one of the prodigies of Konoha, like myself, though I was the more advanced. He stopped and looked at me, probably feeling my gaze on him and then just made his way toward his seat, sat down and put his hands in front of his face, closing his eyes to the shut out the rest of the world. Wow, that was very anti-climatic.

I just internally shook my head before turning to look at the other kids coming into the class. Not too long after the Uchiha's arrival a blonde boy with a bright orange jumpsuit and a goofy grin came into the class and I instantly smiled, almost jumping off the table to hug him as the memories came flooding back to me, filling my heart with joy - and a prominent pang of guilt - when it came to him, my best friend: Naruto Uzumaki. The other kids began to whisper and point at him but he paid them no mind and took a seat near Sasuke. He then suddenly looked at me, noticing that I was there for the first time, his eyes going fox like as he was observing me. I hoped he would make the connection instantly, but I knew it probably wouldn't have been possible. It had been years and my presence changed.

After a few minutes into observing me, Shikamaru Nara came in. I was cool with him. He was a great person to hang out with when you didn't really want to have a conversation and just wanted to relax. He noticed Naruto and walked down to his desk talking to him. After he got the reason for Naruto being here he went to his own seat. He looked at me when he sat down, seeing me for the first time, before just yawing and putting his head down. Heh, that Shikamaru will never change. It was kind of quiet after that, the last few stragglers getting in. Suddenly all I hear is something like a stampede coming toward the classroom and next thing you know Sakura and Ino were fighting each other to get inside the room. They came in at the same time and then began arguing over who would sit next to Sasuke. I sighed, rolling my eyes at the scene. So much for my best friends forever theory I had going with those two. Then things began to really escalate.

Naruto was trying to catch Sakura's attention as she had walked down to the desk he and Sasuke happened to be sitting at. She however pretended like he was invisible and only addressed Uchiha, who looked like he could care less. Naruto then got angry and went and stood on the desk right in front of Sasuke and had an eye glaring contest with him, the electricity between their eyes clearly visible. Just them some guy sitting in the row in front of them moved back and bumped into Naruto which caused him to lock lips with Sasuke. I almost laughed out loud at my poor friend, and the room got so quiet it wasn't even funny.

After what felt like a minute but was only really a few seconds later, the two broke apart trying to upchuck the other's saliva. All the girls went into kick-ass mode and started to bear knuckles. Naruto was trapped and was soon getting the beat down of his life by every single girl in the classroom. Saying I was pissed to see the sight would be an understatement. I was down right furious, my anger breaking the boiling point. Thinking that a few parents wouldn't miss their daughters I grabbed a couple of kunai just as Iruka decided to grace the room with his presence. Those damn girls were lucky. I sat back on the desk and put away my kunai as the students settled down and went back to their seats. I looked around, wanting to beat the crap outta the girl that threw the first punch as Iruka made his speech to the class. The listened to him, Naruto, whose face was completely was completely swollen, looked on through is better eye. Iruka welcomed them to the orientation, talking about what they would have to do from here on then. I tuned out most of it before it until he was about to announce the teams. I cleared my throat loud enough for him to hear and he looked back like he just remembered I was there. I must have done my job a little too well.

"Oh yes… Uh, class before I tell you who the teams are, lets see how sharp your stills truly are." He said pointing to me.

"This person has been sitting on this desk since you got into class, correct?" he said looking around to them as some of them nodded their heads yes.

"Well can you tell me who this person is without looking at their face? For instance is the person a boy or girl? Is the person old or younger than you? Is this person a highly ranking ninja, or a beginner like all of you?" he said, throwing the examples in for emphasis.

"I see what you what you're getting at Sensei. This is like that tactic used to size up the skill of your opponent, one more thoroughly used in battle." A random kid had said.

"Exactly. Well, any guesses?" he said looking around at the students.

"It's a guy ninja. Has to be." One boy said.

"I think it's a girl, probably early twenties." A girl said.

"It's probably a skinny, ugly bald dude that's older than the Hokage." Another boy said, getting the class to laugh at this. I failed to see how it was funny, but I choked back a snort at how far of the mark he was.

"Are those your final answers?" Iruka said with a smile on his face.

"Well it's definitely a guy, no question. And from his chakra levels he's pretty strong." Another boy said and with this Sasuke took another look at me. He stared for a couple of seconds before snorting and turning his attention back to a wall in the class. I wondered if he had figured it out, or if he just doubted my skills.

"And why does it have to be a guy? It can be a girl too you know!" Another girl had said heatedly.

"Not with those chakra levels!" the boy from before said back to the girl and then an argument broke out in the class. Iruka attempted to quiet them, but I decided that I had kept them in suspense long enough.

"Damn, well it's no wonder why _you_ guys are still Genin." I say loudly as I stood up.

The class went absolutely quiet after that, all of them looking at me. Naruto, whose face wasn't swollen anymore, picked his head up at the sound of my voice and looked at me. I removed the bandages, holding it it in one hand while pulling out the pin that was holding my hair up with the other, shaking my head a little to let my hair fall down my back.

**Normal P.O.V.**

Naruto watched in disbelief as the girl in the front of the class shook her head, letting her hair fall out of the style it was in before and give a smile to the class.

"No way…" He said quietly, his mind unable to believe what his eyes were telling him.

Sasuke had heard him when he had said this and stared at him through the corner of his eye, watching as Naruto sat up looking at the girl in the front of the classroom, too shocked for words. The whole class erupted into whispers as they looked at the girl in front of them.

"Hi." She said giving them a little half-wave. There where 'no ways' and 'it can't be' coming from everywhere and she let out a short chuckle.

"Yeah, yeah I know." She said as if not believing it herself.

"Kai?" Naruto whispered, still incredulous to the situation.

Sasuke then turned to look at the boy curiously, but only for a second. He then turned his attention to the girl that had Naruto completely speechless. She was still smiling at the class and looked like she was about to say something.

"Well for those who don't know me, my name is Kaiyamei Hatake, but you can call me Kai, that's what all my friends do. I'm 12 years old, just like you, but…" She said, stopping off and looking at Iruka.

"Care to explain?" She said, gesturing to the class. He nodded looking at the class.

"Well she's here on request of the Hokage and-" Iruka had started but a kid raised his hand and he stopped, addressing the kid to ask his question.

"Isn't she a Genin like us?" He asked and Kai couldn't help but laugh, though she really didn't mean to.

"That's what I'm getting too. Well, let her explain that part." Iruka said giving Kai the floor and she smiled at the class because of the comment.

"I haven't been a Genin in, what is it now…?" She said stopping off to count on her fingers.

"Eight years." She said when she had gotten to her answer. The whole room erupted into more whispers.

"Then what are you?" The same kid asked.

She looked at him and wondered how to answer that question. She sure as hell couldn't tell them she was ANBU; she was so not getting an ass-whooping anytime soon for spilling. And plus what would be the point when only three teams were passing? She decided she would tell the teams that passed, after she had been with them long enough to gain their trust and vise versa. So she decided on telling them the next best thing.

"I'm Jonin-level." She said and immediately after the whole class, save Naruto and Sasuke, erupted into laughter.

"Yeah right! You expect us to believe that _you're_ a Jonin?" Kiba Inuzuka said, still laughing his guts out. Kai just sighed, doing hand signs that do one could se before answering.

"Yeah." She said and Kiba immediately stopped laughing, along with the rest of the class, when he felt the cool steel tip of a kunai at his throat, Kai being the one holding.

"Why would I lie?" She said again, only this time it was coming from the front of the classroom. They looked back at the shadow clone that still had her kunai to Kiba's throat and then back at the original in the front of the room.

"I also have Iruka to back up my claim." Another one said coming out of no where and picking up Akamaru, who didn't mind.

"You could also ask your sensei. And plus are you implying that the Hokage doesn't know what he's doing?" The three Kai's said together, all staring at intently at Kiba.

"Speaking of which, you guys need to know your teams. So Kai, if you would please call off the clones." Iruka said calmly.

Kai did just that, the clone holding Akamaru putting him down before disappearing with the other clone in a cloud of smoke. The real Kai just smirked at Kiba from where she stood and the class turned their attention to the front again.

"A final note before I do. Kai is going to be with you as an advisor of sorts, along with the sensei your team will already be assigned to. So let's begin, shall we?" Iruka said, and with that started listing off the teams. When it had gotten to Sakura, Sasuke and Naruto, lets just say the latter of the three wasn't too happy.

"Iruka-sensei! Why does a top-student like me in a group with this guy?!?!" Naruto asked pointing to Sasuke while Sakura looked at him like he was an idiot.

"Sasuke graduated with the highest scores. Naruto, you got the worst scores of the bunch." Iruka said and the whole class began to laugh. Kai looked at Naruto to find that he was looking down, until he saw her staring at him. She gave him an apologetic shrug and he gave a small, sad smile in return.

"This happens because we want to evenly divide abilities between groups." Iruka said finishing up his earlier explanation.

"Just make sure you don't get in my way dobe." Sasuke said, not even sparing a glance at Naruto.

"What did you say?" Naruto asked getting angry.

"Hard of hearing?" Sasuke taunted.

"Knock it off and sit down Naruto." Sakura said adding her two cents in.

Iruka had cleared his throat however, gaining the undivided attention of the class again. He called out the rest of the teams and addressed them one last time.

"After lunch you'll be meeting your sensei so class dismissed." Iruka said, and with that everyone began to file out of the room, some taking glances at Kai before they left, Naruto taking the longest.

She nodded at him and he smiled at her before heading off like the rest of the class. She definitely had her work cut out for her. She looked to Iruka and shook her head sighing, but letting a smile break out on her face. She was used to it. It was just like the old days… like she never left.

**To be continued**

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**Serenity Angel:** Hope it wasn't too bad. Reviews would be awesome!!! See ya next time!


	4. Meet and Greet

**Serenity Angel:** Hey! Sorry this took so long. Been very busy with a lot of stuff. I don't want to babble (don't have anything to babble about) so…

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto or its characters except Kaiyamei Hatake and others that will be introduced as the story goes on.

Enjoy!

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**Normal P.O.V**

"This should be interesting." Kai said as she watched the door the students had just exited from.

"Well at least it keeps you busy." Iruka said shrugging while moving back to the desk.

"Yeah, just what I need." Kai chuckled and looked back at her old sensei. He had put his papers together and was now walking over to Kai.

"So what now?" Iruka asked when he was standing next to her.

She looked at him and then tilted her head in thought. She was technically free until the kids met with their designated sensei. Well since the secret that she was home was out among the students … A slow smile crept to her face when she had made her decision.

"Well it wouldn't hurt to talk and feel out the students… you know, separate the ones that can make it from the ones that can't." She said with a finger to her chin from the thought.

"Got some catching up to do?" Iruka asked chuckling.

"Oh yeah." She answered grinning widely.

"Well I'll leave you to it. We definitely need to sit down and catch up soon too, okay?" Iruka said holding out a hand. Kai just smiled and pulled him into a hug which surprised him.

"Definitely." Kai said before pulling back and smiling.

They walked up the steps and parted at the door, Iruka making his way to the Hokage's office and Kai going to change back into her own clothes. She finished the task quickly and made her way to outside where everyone had gone to eat their lunches. While she walked to her first 'victims' she made a mental note to really see if they had the ability to make it to the next step. Some of the sensei were hard testers and it would take everything the genin had to pass.

With that thought in mind she put on a smile and greeted the group, engaging in a conversation afterwards. She found them friendly and eager to learn about her status, especially some of the missions she had to go through and she found that they had a slim possibility of passing, though that possibility didn't have their feet in the door. She talked with other groups, finding them equally as refreshing to talk to as the first. After wandering the grounds for a while she happened upon a group where every member was too familiar for words. She smiled and crept to the low wall by which they ate, the female of the group having taken to leaning against it.

Without any of the three noticing Kai crept up behind the girl and covered her eyes, the girl letting out a noise between a squeak and a squeal at the sudden action. Kai only giggled and lifted her head to the girl's right ear.

"Guess who?" she said in a sing song voice, the girl letting out a startled gasp at the sound of it.

"K-Kai?" She stuttered out. Kai removed her hands from the girl's opaque eyes. The girl turned around to face her and smiled at her.

"Kai!" She exclaimed, suddenly hugging her, which was totally uncharacteristic of the girl. Kai only hugged back, moved by the action.

"Been a long time Hina-Chan!" Kai said as she pulled back. She looked at the other two and a half members of the group.

"Shino, Kiba, Akamaru." She said with a grin, nodding in both boy's (and dog's) direction when she said their name. She let her eyes land on Kiba and had to hold back a smirk.

"No hard feelings about the kunai thing?" She said tilting her head toward him. He just smirked at her and folded his arms.

"Just as long as there isn't a repeat performance." He said. Kai sucked her teeth in a playful manner and shrugged her shoulders.

"I dunno… I _am_ supposed to be teaching you a few things and that also includes the weaponry division." She said in a manner that sounded serious. He made a face that didn't agree with the statement and Kai laughed, unable to hold it in.

"Okay, okay, I'll lay off. _For now._" She said adding the last part in her mind.

"S-So how l-long have you been b-back?" Hinata asked, which made Kai smile, thinking about the old days.

"Just got back yesterday," She said while she took a seat on the wall.

"So obviously many don't know that I'm back yet." She said shrugging her shoulders in a 'duh' manner. They all nodded their heads in an understanding.

"So the Hokage sent you to teach us?" Kiba asked. Kai nodded her head in an affirmative matter.

"Wow, you must be pretty damn good to already be a Jonin." Kiba said leaning toward Kai. She had almost corrected him when he had said 'Jonin' remembering what she had told the class.

"Yeah. One of the reasons you rarely saw me out and about town… I was a busy kid." She said shrugging again. They nodded their heads again and she smiled.

"I can't wait to start teaching you guys. I wanna see what you got." Kai said leaning back on her hands and swinging her legs back and forth.

"Heh, well I know you'll be amazed by my skills." Kiba said folding his arms across his chest and wearing a smug smirk.

"Oh really?" Kai said, smirk forming on her lips and raising an eyebrow.

"Well, I don't wanna toot my own horn…" Kiba said cockily and Kai had to stop herself from rolling her eyes.

"Well we'll just have to see about that won't we?" She asked with a challenging tone laced in her voice and a look of daring on her face. She ended up giggling a moment afterwards, looking down at her lap before looking back at them smiling.

"Well listen, I'm gonna meet with the other teams while you still have lunch. I'll see you guys later with your new sensei." She said jumping down from the wall and hugging Hinata.

"See ya!" She said, giving a half wave to the boys before disappearing.

As she went to talk to the next group, there was a certain ninja on the other side of the grounds having his lunch atop one of the school buildings, lost in his thoughts thanks to today's unexpected surprise…

"Man… I can't believe Kai's back after all this time…" Naruto said aloud to himself. Thoughts of his first and very best friend brought back memories of their childhood, from the first day they met to all the fun they used to have, every smile, every laugh, everything.

"I wonder if she's still the same…" he mumbled, looking to the sky, though his mind's eye saw one day in particular, darkening that same sky to what it had looked like on _that _day. The day he saw her covered in _his_ life's blood, the blood of a person who was very dear to here and, quite honestly, to himself. What was even more shocking was the fact that for the first time ever, he saw her crying, and like she couldn't control it.

"Could what have happened… changed her?" He asked himself, the sudden memory of her breaking down at _his_ gravestone after days of being completely emotionless coming to mind.

He sighed shaking his head of those thoughts, Sakura's recent rejection randomly sprouting in its place, and as he looked over the grounds around him, he only found Sasuke eating his lunch by himself. Just the sight of Sasuke made Naruto's anger boil, the idea of being on the same team as him only intensifying it.

"_Why did this happen? How'd I get stuck with that jerk?"_ He thought to himself as he watched Sasuke. Suddenly, an idea popped into his head and he smirked.

"_I know…"_

As Naruto thought out his latest scheme, Kai was making her way to the next group after talking to quite a few. She found some of the teams gracious and admiring of her accomplishments to the point of wanting to know everything the could in the space of five minutes, while others were stuck up and had no chance of ever passing. They were going to fail so bad it almost made her wince at the thought and feel sorry for them.

_Almost._

As she jumped from another rooftop in search of a group she heard the mouth of a certain blonde. She was kind of disappointed that it wasn't _the_ blonde she was really looking out for, but hey, she was here to catch up with everyone. She walked up to the groups' lunch spot, concealing her presence and standing behind a wall near them. They didn't notice her at all and it looked like one of the teammates was about to make a little speech.

"Okay, listen up. If we're gonna be in the same group you two are gonna do what I say and follow my lead. It's the only way it will work." The female of the group said, which almost made Kai laugh out loud.

Boy was she wrong. She had a feeling someone else would take the limelight in this group, even if they didn't show it now.

"Yeah, yeah." One of the boys from the group answered the girl.

Kai just shook her head as she came from her hiding space, deciding to play along with the girl's side for just a little while.

"I'd listen to her if I were you. Not good if you don't." She said with her arms folding across her chest. The trio looked back at her, the girl immediately smiling.

"Kai!" the girl said as she ran over and hugged her.

"Hey Ino." Kai said laughing and hugging her back.

"Oh my Kami, look at you! You've grown so much… But it looks like you never changed!" Ino exclaimed as she gave the other girl a once over. She had stopped at her hair, picking up an off-white lock.

"Well, you didn't change except for this! You dyed your hair?!?!" Ino said looking from the lock of hair in her hands to Kai who was having a sweat drop moment. It showed on her face a little, but only Shikamaru seem to know the look and chuckled a little.

"I didn't dye it… Why does everyone think I dyed it?" She said confusion tinting the last question.

"I didn't. It's just… Just my Dad's genes kicking in." Kai said with a sad smile on her face.

"So no more brown?" Ino said in a slightly sympathetic voice when Kai had mentioned her own father.

"Nope, no more brown." Kai said as she looked over to the boys, Shikamaru and Choji.

"Hey boys. How you doin?" she said with a grin.

"Fine." Shikamaru answered lazily.

"Good." Choji sad while eating another rice ball, which had Kai chuckling at the familiar action.

"It's good to see that you're back Kai." Shikamaru said.

"Yeah, it is. I say we go celebrate. Barbecue!" Choji said devouring the rice ball he had in his hand, leaving Kai stunned at what had just been said. She had been friends with Shikamaru and Choji; in fact she hung out with the boys more than the girls. She didn't know they liked her enough to actually miss her. She smiled at the boys while Ino gave Choji a deadpanned look for his comment.

"Jeez Choji." Ino said and she couldn't help but laugh. Shikamaru just shook his head at Ino. He looked back to the view in front of him, which had made his eyes widen in surprise.

"Hey…" Shikamaru had said, which caused everyone's attention to be turned to him and then to whatever he was looking at.

At first they didn't know what they were looking for, until they spotted a blonde in a bright orange jumpsuit hugging the wall of the building opposite of them. Kai let her smile grow to unimaginable proportions as she watched Naruto sidle across the wall. It disappeared and was replaced with a look of confusion almost immediately once it was seen who Naruto was heading towards: Sasuke Uchiha eating his lunch. When Naruto was near enough to the window and Sasuke was apparently not looking, Naruto jumped him, the sheer force knocking the window's wooden shudder closed, which obviously left it hard for the group to see what was going on. That didn't however, stop them from hearing everything. There was a great brawl going on in the room and it even made Kai wince once or twice when something sounded extremely painful.

"Naruto! If you hurt Sasuke you're going to get it!" Ino said, shaking a fist while Kai gave her a deadpanned look that stated 'are you serious?'

Ino, who was too busy rooting for Sasuke, didn't even see this and Kai went back to looking at the closed window.

As soon as the fight had started it was finished, the surrounding area growing quiet again besides the distant chatter of birds. It left the four ninja to wonder about the outcome of the spontaneous fight. The shudder suddenly opened and as if to answer the unasked question, Sasuke Uchiha came out smirking at his triumph.

"I guess Naruto lost… and Sasuke didn't even break a sweat." Shikamaru said surprised.

"Heh, Sasuke against Naruto? Please, that's not even a fight. No one can beat my Sasuke." Ino said boastfully.

Kai watched her with a raised eyebrow that only Shikamaru saw. She then turned away from Ino to watch Sasuke. Sensing that something off, she peered at the boy a little more closely. She realized what, or who rather, it was and in a heartbeat and laughed, which caused the others to give her a quizzical look.

"Not all is as it seems…" Kai said laughing and shaking her head slightly. The others just looked at her confused and she took it as her time to leave.

"Hey, I've got to go. I'll see you later with your sensei." She said, casting one more glance at 'Sasuke' before he went off and she herself walked in the direction she came from.

"Okay… See you later." Ino said, still confused by Kai's earlier comment, which Kai didn't feel like elaborating on.

She just smiled, gave them a wave and jumped to the next rooftop, trusting that whatever reason Naruto was guised as Sasuke was a good one, or at least hoping. She talked to the few last groups that were still together. Lunch was almost over after that and she had decided to try and find Naruto's group, the only one she hadn't seen, though she knew in the back of her mind that it was a lost cause to begin with. After wandering around for a bit she had found Sakura and Naruto, the latter yelling something at Sakura, which in turn made her pissed. She walked up and stopped behind Sakura, the girls mumbling too low for even her ears to catch. Sakura turned around and almost walked into Kai, shocking herself when she saw the girl standing there. The shock soon wore off and Sakura smiled at Kai, squealing and hugging the girl at the same time.

"Kai! It's been too long!" She exclaimed with a smile, Kai returning it.

"I know it has. What's up? What was all that about?" Kai said nodding her head in the direction Naruto had gone in. Sakura looked in the direction briefly and then turned her head back to Kai, rolling her eyes in the process.

"Oh nothing, Naruto's just being annoying." She said, waving her hand in an offhanded manner.

"Annoying, eh?" Kai said while raising an eyebrow.

In truth it was only the boys that really knew that Naruto was her best friend, Hinata being the only exception because Kai would tell her about the antics they would get in when she hung out with Hinata. Kai's father had actually been friends with certain members of the Hyuga Clan since he was a Genin letting that friendship grow to his adulthoood, inturn allowing the adult's offspring to play with one another. Kai looked at Sakura but decided not to comment about Naruto's "annoyingness".

"Hmm, guess whatever he was planning didn't work." Kai said, mostly to herself.

"What?" Sakura asked looking at Kai with a confused expression.

"It's a long story. Come on, it's almost time to meet you're sensei. I'll walk you back to class." Kai said moving down the path toward the academy with Sakura.

Sakura did all the talking, though Kai wasn't exactly paying close attention. She nodded and answered at the appropriate times and it didn't thankfully get into what Kai had been doing the past four years. She left Sakura to venture into the classroom where her teammates were waiting by herself and went to meet with the first teams who were with their Sensei. She couldn't believe how fun it was to see the people that taught, worked, and trained with her all those years ago. There were some who were greatly shocked to see her, while others had a mild case for they had heard that particular piece of gossip from the rumor mill. Once they would dismiss their students, she'd surprised them by a tackle of a hug or get one herself from them. They would catch up on some old memories, she telling them a little of the arrangement between her and the Hokage, and then she'd head off to the next group. She was surprised to find no hostility or anyone questioning why she wasn't considered rogue or even asked what had happened all those years ago. She could only guess that was conversational topics for another time.

Soon the list of people had worn itself down to the one group she had left to see: Team Seven. She found herself heading back to the school, shaking her head at how predictable her Uncle was. Of course she had only guessed that once she had seen all the other Sensei that Kakashi had this group, which already had Kai worrying a little. It so happened that she and her short-lived team were to be students of Kakashi, for they had passed by sheer luck (and stubbornness). When all was said and done though, she was the only one from that entire year of students to be able to become a shinobi…

She pushed the past memories and current worry away as she checked the room she had left Sakura in. She knew her uncle and was actually surprised to find the room empty, also a little curious as to why there was a chalkboard eraser on the floor. She shrugged it off and headed to the spot that Kakashi had taken her team to talk years ago. She had reached just in time and hid herself in a nearby tree unnoticed, listening in to the conversation.

**Kai P.O.V**

I watched as Kakashi, Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura made themselves comfortable, Kakashi taking to leaning against the railing, facing the three. This was just going to be informational, nothing too exciting… Well that's if Kakashi doesn't do to them what he did to us.

"Well, tell me about yourselves." Kakashi said motioning to them. They looked at him confused.

"Tell about ourselves? What do you want us to say?" Sakura asked.

"Your likes, hates, dreams and hobbies. You know, stuff like that." Kakashi offered. Oh, well at least they didn't have to give a whole bio on themselves like he made my team do.

"Well, why don't you introduce yourself first Sensei?" Naruto asked. Ooo, this should be good.

"Me?" He asked pointing to himself. Oh yes, this should be really good.

"Well, my name is Kakashi Hatake." He started and Naruto looked like he had a sudden case of Déjà vu. I'm actually surprised that didn't come sooner, but it's understandable.

"I have no intention of saying my likes or dislikes. As for my dream… never really thought about it. And I have few hobbies." He finished and I almost fell out the tree laughing, hand clamped over my mouth to prevent the noise from coming out and them noticing me. I looked on as I tried regaining my composure. All three of them looked annoyed and I almost laughed out loud again at the looks on their faces.

"All we found out was his name!" Sakura exclaimed to the other two, but I heard the remark perfectly.

"Yeah." Naruto agreed.

Hell would freeze over before they found out more about Kakashi than his name and his obsessive love fore Icha Icha Paradise books. Or at least, they had to become his students first.

"Well now it's your turn. You first." Kakashi said pointing to Naruto. He smiled and gladly took first turn.

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki. I like instant cup ramen, but really like the ramen from Ichiraku that Iruka-sensei bought me even more. I hate the three minutes I have to wait after you put in the hot water. My hobby is to eat and compare instant cup ramens! And my dream is to become the greatest Hokage someday and to make all the villagers respect me and treat me like I'm somebody important!" He said and I couldn't help but smile at this.

He was still the same old Naruto that I had left behind. I didn't realize how much I missed him until right at that very moment. I looked over to Kakashi and noted the smile underneath his mask, and I could only wonder what he was thinking. Well I could find out, but then again, Kakashi's mind will permanently scar mine. Believe me I've been in there once by accident. Don't ask how, why or what because you don't want to know.

"Okay, next." Kakashi said nodding toward Sakura.

"I'm Sakura Haruno! I like… well the person I like is…" She started and looked to Sasuke who was completely oblivious. I on the other hand proceeded to look at her like she was stupid. Something tells me that Sakura's priorities are something I don't want to know about.

"And my hobby is… Well my dream is to…" She said and suddenly screamed like a fangirl. I just had the sudden urge to puke. Something else also tells me I might be avoiding Sakura outside of training, especially if she acts like that.

"And what do you hate?" Kakashi asked casually.

"Naruto!" She said with sudden anger and the ferocious urge to attack Sakura and snap her like a twig took over so quickly I had to dig my nails into the branch pretending it was her neck, the place I wanted to snap first.

The poor branch was splintering under my grip. Naruto went into tears when she said his name for the 'hate' category and I almost groaned out loud. Please tell me he doesn't like her. He can do so much better! Please, she's not even good enough for him! I tried to calm myself down by taking deep silent breaths in and out and looked over to Kakashi in order to get my mind off of killing Sakura. I could almost hear the gears in his head turning after this little tidbit of information. Sakura was one of the typical girly girls of the village; you know the ones that like the idea of love more than training to be a proper kunoichi. I could already tell that. And Naruto is my best friend, so I bet he was hoping I wasn't there yet and hadn't heard that little piece of the conversation. Too late. Much, much too late.

"Last guy." Kakashi said nodding in Sasuke's direction. Sakura smiled at him I couldn't help but roll my eyes.

"I'm Sasuke Uchiha. There are many things I hate, and not many things I like." He started and my irritation disappeared immediately as a sudden red flag went up. I looked at the Uchiha as did everyone else. Sakura had stopped smiling and actually looked shocked. I leaned toward the group a little, intent on hearing the rest of what this kid had to say.

"Also I have an ambition that I have no intention to leave as just a dream: The revival of my clan and to kill a certain man." He stated and everyone went in to silence.

The red flag was immediately joined by buzzers and bells at what this kid had just said. Forget what I thought about being angry all the time, this kid wanted someone's genitals on a stick, right on top of their head like a kabob. I looked at him, seriousness marked in every fiber of my body. Something was weird about this one… I don't like it. He's keeping something to himself, I could tell. I had actually familiarized myself with every detail I could muster when I had first heard about the tragedy. It did after all happen in my home village, so it wasn't something I could ignore, especially when the mere details were so brutal. I think I had a pretty good idea about who was top on his death list. I made a mental note to keep an eye on him and definitely make sure he didn't stray off the path he'd chosen, whichever one that was at the moment. I don't think it would be good for the people around him, or the village for that matter. I looked back to Kakashi and found him staring intently at the Uchiha, and I could only guess his thoughts were somewhere on the same wavelength as mine. They were silent for moment or two before Kakashi broke it.

"Alright then, you three have personalities and character. I like that. We're going to begin a mission starting tomorrow." He said and Naruto immediately became excited.

"Alright! What kind of mission, sir?" Naruto asked leaning toward Kakashi.

"First off we're going to make it something only the four of us can do." He stopped and the blinked once, turning his head to my little hiding spot.

"Or make that five, eh Kai?" He asked and smirked. Took him long enough. I jumped out of the tree, landing lightly on my feet and stretching from being in that position for so long. I smiled at the three as they looked back at me. Each face asked when the hell did I get there, and how long had I been there. I only smirked and looked over to Kakashi.

"Depends Kakashi… How_ early_ you planning on starting this little mission?" I asked. Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto just looked at me quizzically, not getting my implication on the word 'early' while Kakashi just smirked at me. Oh, he so knew I was there the whole time.

"Hey, what kind of mission is it in the first place?" Naruto asked, getting back to business. I walked over to where Kakashi was and took a seat on the railing and looked at him for his answer.

"Survival training." He said and I raised an eyebrow. Is that what he's tells them now? He looked back at me when he felt the heat of my gaze and copied my gesture.

"Survival training?" Naruto asked. Oh, this should be good.

"If it's a mission, why are we going to train? We trained plenty back at the academy." Sakura said looking at Uncle Kakashi questioningly.

"This is no ordinary training." He answered.

"You're telling me…" I couldn't help but mumble under my breath. Kakashi looked at me and I give him an innocent smile.

"Then what kind of training is it?" Naruto asked, ignoring the little exchange between Kakashi and me. Kakashi looked back at him and began to laugh, which only served to confuse them and make me roll my eyes. I just shook my head at him and sighed as he began to calm down.

"What's so funny sensei? That question was normal." Sakura said. Well guess what honey, the answer isn't and as a warning: it's likely to scare you or piss you off.

"What I'm about to say, which you'll probably find surprising, isn't an answer your really gonna like." He said to them.

I turned my head and looked at him, eyebrows raised. Why don't you sugarcoat it a little more Uncle? Don't think they catch the drift.

The others were looking for him to go on. He looked at them and took a breath before starting.

"Out of the twenty-seven graduates of the academy, only nine are to become Genin. The other eighteen are to be weeded out and sent back to the academy. This training is actually a make it or break it test…" He said stopping off and looking at me. I sigh shaking my head at what he wanted me to say.

"With a failing rate of sixty-six percent." I finish for Kakashi and they all went into shock. Naruto however was the first to break out of it.

"WHAT?!?! No way! I went through so much trouble… Then what was the final exam back at the academy for?" He said going from disbelief to demanding in a matter of seconds.

"That?" Kakashi asked. I cut him off before he could say anything else, wondering if the blow would soften more if it was given by me.

"It was a qualifiers round so to speak. If was to pick out those who might be able to make it to Genin. This right here is the real deal." I said pointing to the ground which we stood on. Yeah, I think the blow wasn't as soft as I wanted it when I saw the look on their faces. Hey, believe me, it's better than being told by Kakashi.

"What?!?!" Naruto shrieked. And yes he actually shrieked. I didn't even think that was possible.

"That's how it's done. _I_ decide whether you pass or not." Kakashi said as he looked at them. At the exact same moment, all three of their gazes land on me, which caught Kakashi's attention and made him chuckle.

"Kai can't do anything about it. She can't give the test herself because she wasn't given a squad... She's is only to teach those who make it. In any case we meet at the training grounds tomorrow. Bring your ninja equipment and meet there at 5 A.M." He said and by the time he finished they were shaking and too busy in their own thoughts.

I looked at Kakashi, giving him the "happy with what you've done?" look. He just shrugged at me. Man, I wondered how we were related sometimes. He stood up and turned, ready to leave after finishing his task of potentially ending another three kids dreams before they began. He stopped and turned back to them, probably to crush them some more.

"Alright then, meeting's over. Oh and don't eat breakfast tomorrow. Unless you want to throw it back up." See, what did I tell you? Their eyes began to bulge more and I just gave out a deadpanned look, first at them then at Kakashi. He looked over to me when he felt the heat of my gaze.

"You know you're scaring them half outta their minds right?" I whisper harshly to them. After all, there really was no reason to scare them… that much at least.

"Yeah, and?" He whispered back. I just shook my head slightly and narrowed my eyes as my memories came flitting back to me.

"You did this to us to… And yet looked what happened…" I say but what turned out to be a smug comment at first made me go quiet when I had uttered the last syllable.

I bit my lip in remembrance and a silence passes between me and him. I know he didn't like to talk about _that_ time as much as I did, though his reason differed from mine. He looked down at the ground running a hand through his hair before looking back at me and I immediately noticed the concern in his eyes and I look away. I watched as the three academy students walk away dejectedly, and I couldn't help but let my eyes land on one of them. You know, the one with the blonde hair and the bright orange jumpsuit? Instantly every thought was cleared from my mind as I watched him. He looked to be walking away the slowest, so it wouldn't be hard to catch up with him…

I look over to Kakashi and give him a puppy dog pout, not a full blown one, but one to get by for now. He looked over to the person I had been looking at before and sighed before chuckling.

"Make sure you're back before ten and try not to cause too much trouble." I beam at him, showing all my pearly whites.

"Hai!" I said before breaking out into a sprint to follow Naruto.

"Naru-Kun!!!" I call when I'm at least a foot away.

He turns around just in time to see and catch me in a hug as I jump him. He manages to swing me around twice before we fall to the floor from the force of my jump, me on top of him. Sasuke and Sakura both look back in time to find us on the ground laughing. I manage to gain some control first and get up, giving Naruto a hand once I was steady on my own two feet.

"Kai! You haven't changed a bit." Naruto said laughing and pulling me into a real hug.

"Why would I?" I ask laughing as I hugged back.

"It's good to see you buddy. Been too long since I've seen these blue eyes and blond hair." I said as we let go and I ruffle his hair.

"I would say the same about you but, your hair isn't brown anymore…" He said staring at my hair. It was then that he noticed that he was looking up.

"And you're taller." He said, measuring the distance from his head to mine just to make sure he wasn't seeing things. He mock frowned at the fact but then let out a really big smile.

"Well, my Dad's genes are kicking in. It was bound to happen sometime." I say and I knew my smile had faltered a little, but I pushed any and every thought of my dad to the back of my mind and talked before he could notice anything.

"Anyway, enough about me. How's my best friend in the whole world? Come on, let's go celebrate this reunion with some ramen!" I say putting my arm around his neck.

I suddenly felt someone's eyes on me. I turned back to see Kakashi just shaking his head. I raised an eyebrow but suddenly smirked at a plan that I had just thought of.

"And you can buy all the ramen you want. We'll just put it on Kakashi's tab!" I said the last part loud enough for Kakashi to hear.

He so didn't know what I was pulling him into. We walk away after that, talking so fast that anyone who wasn't us would think we were speaking another language. I ignored Sasuke's look of actual confusion and Sakura's look of 'why would you want to be seen with him?' Oh, I was so going to have to fix that girl later.

But all that can wait, because I'm with my best friend and nothing could take away my immense happiness that moment. Everything felt complete and unchanged in that instant, even if the little voice in the back of my mind said that wasn't true. Well I didn't care what the hell that voice said, I was with one of the people I cared about most and far away from any and all problems, and everything about that was just right.

~To Be Continued~

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**Serenity Angel:** Hope this is coming out good. Tell me what you think!


	5. Ramen, Tests, and Ghosts, Oh My!

**Serenity Angel:** Hey guys and gals! Yeah, I know this is late. Not going to bother making up excuses cuz that would take time away from reading the chapter, so without further adieu…

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto or its characters except Kaiyamei Hatake and others that will be introduced as the story goes on. (Like the one in this chapter: hint hint)

Enjoy

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**Kai P.O.V**

Naruto and I headed over to Ichiraku's Ramen Stand, the best ramen stand in all of the villages. Nothing could truly ever top that man's ramen. We talked about the old memories and pranks the whole way, which in turn I was glad for. Naruto, being Naruto, was bound to ask everything from what I did while I was away to the reason I ran, and I for one wanted to put that conversation off as long as Naruto-ly possible. I know it's going to come up someday, I'm just glad it's not today.

We walked up to the ramen stand laughing so hard our sides ached and our lungs were begging for air. We each took a seat as Ichiraku turned to see his newest (and nosiest customers) and tried to regain composure, though we failed miserably. I could see out of the corner of my eye from where he stood that he looked a little shocked to see who it was… I wonder why.

"Hey, do you remember how much trouble we got in for that?" Naruto asked once he calmed down some.

"How could I forget?" I ask giggling. "He only had to put the damn pipe in his mouth before it blew up in his face. Plus, old man Hokage's hair still had the stupid green stuff we put in the pipe for about a month!" I say still giggling.

"Oh man, he was so mad!" Naruto said laughing.

"I should know. He had me doing the worst of the worst low ranked missions ever! I thought he'd never get over it! I'm lucky it wasn't his face or I'd still be doing low ranked missions! How did we get the green stuff get into _his_ pipe anyway?" I ask.

"I dunno, but I swear if looks could kill we wouldn't be here right now!" Naruto said.

I couldn't stop laughing so I nodded my head in agreement as Ichiraku cleared his throat to get our attention. We both turned to him and I let out a big grin.

"Hey old man! Long time no see!" I say, sobering up.

"Well I'll be, it _is_ Kai! And here I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me." He said surprise evident in his voice.

"Hey, I wouldn't think you're that senile yet old man. You surely don't look it. This place probably wouldn't be up and running if you were." I said with a smirk. He only laughed and I smiled.

"So what can I get for you two?" He asked and Naruto's smile could have lit up the whole village.

"Barbequed pork ramen!" Naruto practically shouted.

"Miso!" I said.

"Coming right up." He said and went to make our orders. I smiled as he walked away and turned to Naruto who was grinning back at me.

"All right so tell me, are you excited?" I asked, turning to him once Ichiraku was starting to prepare the food.

"Oh yeah, but I have to admit… I'm a little nervous now thanks to Kakashi-sensei." He admitted and I smiled. He was always truthful about everything with me when we were younger. I'm glad that still stuck. I shrugged my shoulders at his comment and looked at him.

"He's a handful when he's ready, but he's a really good sensei." I say and not even five seconds later Naruto looked at me as if he just remembered something.

"Kai… What is he to you?" He asked as he looked like he was calculating something in his overactive mind. I was shocked he brought it up so early and actually not so much on the fact that he didn't remember.

"He's my former sensei … as well as my uncle." I say with a little shrug. He looked at me with his eyes opened wide, his mouth hanging.

"Seriously?" He asked and I nodded my head in conformation.

"Whoa, I can't believe I didn't remember."

"I don't blame you. He played more of the Sensei role than the Uncle when I became his Genin. And he didn't come around much." I say.

There was also the fact that he was weaning off his ANBU days so that he could become a full fledged teacher. If you asked me, he was one of the best they ever had, but he had his reasons to leave, and I don't question them.

"I probably never would've guessed it. Especially with that mask, so I guess it's reasonable… Man, it feel's like just yesterday right?" Naruto said as he smiled at me.

"Yeah it does. Nothing's changed. I'm kinda mad it didn't really… was expecting a fight or two walking around here, particularly when I was sneaking into the Hokage's office. Hell the only problem I had was with the gate guards, but I'm actually kind of glad it didn't change. To me, it means I didn't miss anything… Especially since I came home just in time to be here for your and the others turn to learn the shinobi ways. Now that's a big change." I say looking around before looking back at him grinning.

"Yeah, it's clear sailing from here. Just have to pass this test and I'll be doing missions and training in no time!" He said in his usually happy manner, but I could detect the hint of edginess in his voice. I sigh and put a hand on his shoulder encouragingly.

"Hey, don't worry too much. You'll do fine. You've made it this far and you can sure as hell go all the way. Just make sure you listen to his directions tomorrow carefully." I say. Just then Ichiraku came with our order and we thank him before he goes back to making more noodles.

"Heh, what's there to be worried about? We'll probably be finished with that test before you show up!" He said with a cocky grin before splitting his chopsticks and inhaling his ramen. I just smile at him, remembering the old memories with that brimming confidence he was showing now.

"Hmm, I'll have to hold you to it…" I say breaking my own chopsticks apart.

"I know one thing I can't wait for is to start sparring with you again." I say as I begin to pick up a bundle of noodles with my chopsticks. I smirk at a thought, looking at him as I blow on the hot food.

"I'm really looking forward to fighting someone my age that can also use the shadow clone jutsu." I say before slurping my chopstick full of ramen noodles and smirk as I watch him choke on his through the corner of my eye. I pat him on the back as I chew on my food, smirking an all knowing smirk. When he's finally able to breath he turns to me slowly and laughs nervously.

"So, uh… you know about that, huh?" He asked sheepishly and I nod my head, swallowing the food in my mouth and smile at him as he gulped the lump in his throat.

"Yeah, I can't believe how fast you mastered it though. It took me at least a good full twenty-eight hours to master completely. I wanted to learn the cooler stuff so I didn't focus on it because I didn't think it was useful when I was younger… Boy was I wrong." I say as I eat some more noodles and see him relax. I wonder if he thought I'm gonna scold him or something… He _did_ steal the scroll… Nah, leave that as blackmail for another day.

"Believe me it wasn't easy. The substitution justu is my worst." He says as he ate some more ramen.

"Well, fourth time's the charm, neh?" I say with a laugh as he gives me another sheepish grin.

"Hey, we all have our flaws. What counts is when we push ourselves to make sure we're not handicapped by that flaw and overcome it to reach our goals, or else we're stuck off saying we tried our best, but we're quitters. We never give up, no matter what…"I say quietly as eat some more ramen. He paused in his slurping to look at me, narrowing his eyes into fox mode. Uh oh, maybe I said a little too much… Naruto always had this knack of knowing when I was holding something back some of the time, and unfortunately now was one of those times.

"How many times have you pushed yourself Kai?" He asked calmly, though his fox-face kind of contradicted it.

"Well, if I had to give an estimate… I'd have to say quite a few." I say, trying to side step the question as much as possible.

"Does that include the times I didn't know about?" he asked and I nearly choked on my ramen. Damn, he hit the nail on the head faster than I expected.

"Maybe…" I answer and I could tell he was angered by the reply.

"Kai, I thought you said you were gonna take it easier. I mean you were already Jonin by the age of seven!" Naruto exclaimed and I gave him a halfhearted shush.

I knew he was right, but then again I was always stubborn. Well, it's best to get the truth out now, I guess.

"I know what I said, but after I made ANBU, there was no stopping. I had to prove myself to the adults everyday, despite anything else that was happening to me…" I say with a shrug and when he looked like he was about to say something I cut him off.

"I went through fevers, and injures still training as hard as I could to get to where I am today rank-wise, if that's what you're about to ask. And you wanna know something? Having a friend like you back then made it all the more easier to get through. You helped me even when you didn't know it." I say looking at him smiling and he smiled back at me before a look another look of recognition crossed his face.

"Hey, that reminds me…" He said pausing and looking around before leaning in closer to me.

"Why did you tell them you were _Jonin_? ANBU would've been easier to prove." He whispered to me as his eyes flashed to the band on my right arm and back to my face. I sigh as I put down my chopsticks and rub the band that's covering my tattoo.

"One, I'm not in the mood to fend off the ANBU that will kick my ass for exposing my rank. It's basically on a need-to-know basis when it comes to the ANBU Corps. It would have been pointless anyway since only three teams are passing. Probably gonna discourage the others that actually do pass when they find out… And the only way that's gonna happen is when I trust them enough." I say in a 'matter of fact' tone and shrug again before picking up my chopsticks and digging back in to my food.

I ate my food and watched as Naruto thought about what I said.

"Hmm, your right." He said after a while, even though some part of me knew he wanted me to show off a bit. I smirk as I watch him finish off his bowl and ask for a second.

I could only laugh: Kakashi so wasn't going to like the bill when it came time to pay. If he thinks I'm going to pay for it he's got another thing coming. We talked more after that, delving back into the memories every now and then. Lucky for me we only skirted through the four years of absence in each other's lives. Yeah, I really am trying to avoid that for as long as possible.

Eight bowls and two filled bellies of ramen later, we head out to Naruto's apartment. Night had set in and practically all the shops were closed, the only light we had was the street lamps that littered the way. We didn't care much about the fact that we were disturbing the peace, I mean who needed sleep this early anyway? All too soon however, we found ourselves standing in front of his apartment building, both of us reluctant to say our good-byes.

"Hey, why don't you come upstairs for a bit? You did just get back and we got alotta stuff to catch up on." He says, and I hear the hint of pleading in his voice.

"Can't. For once, I'm actually gonna listen to Kakashi and be back by ten. Plus we both have busy days tomorrow." I say and he gets this nervous look in his eye when what I've said reminds him about tomorrow's test, then out of the blue his expression morphs into one that seems to have a plan.

"Hey Kai, Kakashi was your sensei too, right? Do you have any pointers, tips, or I don't know… info about what exactly he's going to do tomorrow?' he asked with a hopeful look.

"Are you asking me to be your cheat sheet?" I ask crossing my arms and raising an eyebrow.

"Maybe…" He said with a charismatic grin.

"Well when you put it that way… No." I say lifting his hope only to crush it down. I chuckle as his shoulders sag in defeat, putting my hand on one of them.

"Naruto, you'll do fine, don't worry so much. Plus, doesn't the idea that he could have changed it from the time I took it cross your mind?" I say, asking the last part with the tilt of my head. He looked at me thoughtful of what I said.

"Naruto, I know you'll do well tomorrow. I believe in you and you're skills. You're gonna kick ass!" I say and he stands up straighter, giving me a cocky grin.

"You're right! We're gonna give it our best tomorrow. I know I will! Heck, we'll be done with him before you even show up." He says giving me a toothy smile.

"Now that's what I like to hear! I'ma hold you to that!" I say giving him a hug before letting go and walking backwards for a bit.

"Night Naru-Kun!" I call before turning and heading back to Kakashi's apartment.

I thought about many things on my way back, but the thought that always kept making its way back to the front of my brain was what Naruto had said about my test with Kakashi. Now it was a well known fact amongst Shinobi that Kakashi was the hardest one to pass for, my passing having been a fluke in itself. But then again, when it came to _all_ the tests for genin that year, it had been very, very different…

Whoa, treading dangerous waters there, let's rein it back a bit. They're not going to go through something like _that_. Not even remotely possible. But they are gonna go through the mind set that is Kakashi.

As I climbed into bed that night, my mind couldn't get off the fact that Kakashi had to deal with Naruto's group. Sure it didn't matter that Naruto was my friend, but…

Nah, he won't be too hard on them. I kept that thought in mind as I shut off the lamp and tried to get some sleep.

Too bad it was for a lost cause. That little hope I had that Kakashi had actually made the test somewhat easier was dashed out the window and run over by an eighteen wheeler carrying an elephant and its baby when I saw the crime scene that was the training grounds. Well for one, I know he didn't change one bit of his test because what I saw looked exactly like what I was apart of eight years ago, though the people have changed, what with Kakashi twirling a kunai and using Uchiha as his own personal lazyboy, restraining him with the other hand and Naruto being tied off to one off the logs. Now I, thankfully wasn't in any predicament the two boys where, but one of my teammates was and believe me, you don't want to know which one.

Kakashi just had to be the last test of the day. I know my uncle well enough to know that he wasn't going to be there early. So while I waited for a good time to go and see how his test was going, I watched the other tests, watching as most failed humiliatingly. I didn't even stick around to see some of them. It was just too sad. I had a pretty good sense of who was passing though. Now it was just up to Kakashi, and let's just say that it wasn't exactly looking too good. In fact, it really looked like they needed a miracle, and fast.

I watched them as I made my way soundlessly to sit on the wooden log that Naruto was currently tied to, taking the spot where the alarm clock stood. They didn't notice my presence yet which was fine by me. Kakashi got off of Sasuke and waked over to the stone with the K.I.A. ninja's names carved into it. Once I looked at that stone I got a bitter taste in my mouth, something that always happened in two places: here, and the cemetery.

I knew some of the people carved into that stone so that though they themselves were gone, they would still be forever in mind and heart. Wouldn't having to know that those who once stood by you so solidly was now reduced to pictures, memories and a rock leave a bitter taste in your mouth too? One thing was for sure though, despite that bitter taste: those men and women were true heroes and would always stay that way. I'm honored I got the chance to work along side some of them and I'm sorry to see their lives ended so quickly.

"Cool!" I heard Naruto exclaim, breaking me out of my thoughts. I look down at him and I could tell he was excited about something.

"I like that! I want my name carved on that stone too! A hero! A hero of this village!" He said and my heart almost stopped. They were talking about the stone?

"NO!" I scream before I could even fully form the two letters in my own mind.

I watch as everyone, even Kakashi, jumps at my burst of noise. They all looked shock to see me there, well at least Sasuke, Sakura, and Kakashi did. Naruto had a hard time looking up to where I was.

"No. You don't want your name there unless…" I repeated looking but not seeing anything.

"Those names on that stone… Those people didn't become heroes under normal circumstances." I say quietly, but loud enough for them to hear me.

I could see Kakashi looking at me solemnly as I took to looking up at the sky, still unable to look at Naruto and his smiling gaze. Kakashi's gaze also held sympathy as he looked at me for we both shared losses alike. He may have seen more than me over the course of his lifetime, but mine just seemed all the more painful.

"What special circumstances? Huh? Tell me! Tell me!" he said waving his feet about in excitement.

"They were K.I.A." Kakashi said answering Naruto. I could tell though that Naruto still didn't get it.

"K.I.A.?" He questioned with the grin still in place on his face.

"They were killed in action Naruto." Sakura said, finally giving him the straight answer he needed.

Naruto's smile faded almost instantly and everyone else just went somber and quiet, letting the moment pass by with its sad peace.

"I'll give you one more chance, but know that it won't be any easier than before." Kakashi said breaking the silence and addressing the potential genin.

I watched as Naruto gave a skeptical look and I couldn't help but let mild curiosity pass through me. Was it really going that bad before I got here?

"You can eat lunch if you feel that you're up to the challenge, but don't let Naruto eat. That is his punishment for breaking my rules and trying to eat lunch early. The person that feeds him will immediately fail. Don't bother asking Kai for help, because she's not allowed. Got it?" Kakashi said and without even waiting for an answer he disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

After a silent moment, probably to see if Kakashi was gonna come back out and do something, Sasuke and Sakura retrieved their lunchboxes and went to sit on either side of the tied up Naruto. I just sighed and dangled my legs off the edge of the log, being careful not to hit Naruto in the head. I looked down at the three only to see Sakura and Sasuke looking at me.

"It's not like he's trying to kill you before you even retake his freaking test. And he is actually giving you the chance to eat, so it's ok to do so." I say while giving them both a deadpanned look. They both look down, a light blush on Sakura's face and began to eat. It stayed mostly quiet between the three of us, Sasuke and Sakura trying to ignore the current situation. That became just a little hard when Naruto's stomach started growling. I would have had a sweat drop moment if I didn't know the reason why it was doing that.

"Kai! Do you have anything? Please! I'm dying here!" he wailed a few minutes after the initial growl. I sighed and looked down at the ground, intentionally avoiding his eyes.

"I can't help you. You heard Kakashi." I say and I could feel the angry disbelieving gaze Naruto was throwing at me.

"Since when did _you_ start listening to what an adult told you to do?" He asked and I fixed a raised eyebrow on him so fast he almost didn't finished his question.

"You wanna repeat that?" I threaten and he shrinks back as much as a tied up boy possibly could.

Yeah, Naruto's my best friend, but he should know better than to question me about stuff like that. Sure I really actually don't listen to what adult's tell me to do, Old Man Hokage being the only exception every now and then, but even I have to go back on my own rules now and again. Plus he knows my temper is very similar to his in a way.

"Um…" He said trying to think of a way to get out of his current predicament and I just sigh, still looking at him.

"I'll try and erase that comment from my memory, but I still can't help you." I say and look off to the side.

"Why the hell not?" he asked in a whiney tone. After I sigh for literally the two hundredth time I open my mouth to answer him, but my stomach does that for me.

The sound that comes from it was louder than Naruto's own stomach and I look down, willing away the urge to blush at the sound. I could see the sweat drops on the back of their heads.

Yeah, I never got to eat this morning. I kinda sorta worried myself to sleep about Kakashi's test, trying to guarantee to myself he had actually made his test easier. The time I feel asleep was a late one in itself, and next thing I know, I overslept and almost ran out the house in my pajamas. I had enough time to change but not enough to grab something and scarf it down whole. So now here I sit on the log, starving to death.

"Does that answer your question?" I ask Naruto, but still don't look at him.

"Fully." He says.

I look up to the sky and try to repress the sigh that really truly wants to come out of me. It will be over soon, and then I could probably grab something to eat with Naruto. I begin to space out, on no idea in particular, though I did avoid the food category in hopes that my stomach wouldn't growl again. After a moment of my mind wandering I begin to hear something. It was low at first, so low at first I thought I was imagining things, but then it got louder and seemed to occupy all the empty space I currently had in my head. I soon recognized it to be a person (well if you could still call her that) laughing: A female to be exact, sweet and happy. I narrowed my eyes before rolling them. I knew exactly who the hell this person was and I would kick her ass too if I could. Just to make sure I'm right I look down at the three, Sasuke and Sakura busy eating their lunch and Naruto busy being miserable. The laughter suddenly stopped and the owner of that laugh finally addressed me.

"_Just like old times, neh?"_ She said, her voice echoing off like she was talking to me through a cave. I look down one more time to see that they hadn't heard what I just did, which of course they didn't. I look again to the horizon, wondering if I should really say something or just ignore her. Problem was I really doubt I could ever ignore her for long…

"_Wow, you've decided to talk to me again after what, I dunno, a year?"_ I think in my own mind, because that's the only way I can really talk to her, without seeming crazy of course. Let's just say, I'm really, really different from you're normal kunoichi, hell your normal twelve year old girl. There was long pause after that and I wonder if she'd slip back into her vow of silence.

_"Gomenasai… I know it's been a while… and you have every right to be mad at me… But this was one decision you need to make by yourself Kai. I didn't want to interfere, but I knew you would've made the right choice."_ She said and I blink, running my tongue along my top teeth. So she basically did her own version of abandoning me for my own good?

_"You know, I began to think I was mentally unstable… Again. And, that you were just some imaginary friend… a bad one at that."_ I tell her.

"_You know full bloody well I'm real… Or was… In any case I'm real damn it!"_ She said going on a mini tirade. I almost chuckle at her inability to curse at me and her anger, but that would have pissed her off more.

"_Yeah, yeah Yukina. And so is the spirit world and that whole damn speech you've about to drum in my head again. I know…"_ I tell her.

Oh yeah, I guess I have to explain that… Well first, the dead do exist, and I have the lovely gift of seeing them, more than likely mistaking them for the living. I can also converse with them, but then again which ones want to actually speak? Well besides Yuki here… You see folks, Yukina Nakamura is dead. Has been for about… what 11 years now? I met her when I was four by mere circumstance. It also happens that she has… uh… How do I put this? I guess you can say she has 'shared' my body since that age. And when I say body I mean my actual flesh and blood and all the other stuff a human is made out of. Like I'm one soul and she just happens to be another that takes root in here. I guess I'm what you would call, "hosting her soul"… It's really a long story with too many details, but let's just say… I would be just like she is now if she didn't inhabit my body. I'd really rather not get into it, but I have a lot to thank her for. After all it's because of her that I'm still alive today, even though it's her own fault I'm not supposed to be that way in the first place…

"_Were you pissing me off on purpose?"_ She asks and I roll my eyes.

Of course I was. I mean I need some payback in some form since she doesn't have a face I can punch.

"_No, I wouldn't dream of it… But I was beginning to think that."_ I say to which she snorts to.

She doesn't answer me; instead I feel a tug on the back of my literal eyeballs which means she's using them just like I am at the moment. She takes in my view, which had settled on the team below me.

"_So these are Kakashi's new bunch of misfits?"_ She asks, putting some barely noticeable affection on Kakashi's name.

Yeah… Apparently those two have a history, one I don't ever ask about because, I'm no fool. They were more than the "friends" she claimed them to be, and Yukina tends to get graphic when she describes her past to me, and I really, really don't need to see my uncle in that fashion. I have enough reasons to go to therapy for (though it'll be a cold day in Hell before you find me lying down on a therapist's couch), and I'm glad to say that sexual mental scarring is not one of them.

"_They're not misfits; they're, hopefully, his new students… Wait, are you calling me a misfit?"_ I ask, beginning to feel slightly offended at the comment.

"_No, I wouldn't dream of it…"_ She said repeating my earlier statement. I gave her a deadpanned look she couldn't see, although I wish she did.

"_Think they'll make it?"_ She asked quietly and I blink at the question.

Before I could answer it though, Naruto broke into our conversation. Or well his stomach did. This time was louder than the first and I was praying it wouldn't send off a chain reaction with mine.

"I'll be ok even if I don't eat. Nothing can stop me!" He declared confidently and then his stomach growled again, contradicting his statement. I looked on sympathetically as he hung his head with hunger. Suddenly outta know where Sasuke holds out his lunch to Naruto.

"Here." He said and I looked at the boy curiously.

"But Sasuke! Kakashi-sensei would…" Sakura started looking around.

"He's not here. I don't sense him around." He said and I looked at him like he was stupid, which he was at the moment. I could feel Kakashi standing behind a tree in the forest right behind the logs. Sasuke didn't seem to feel my gaze though.

"We're a team and we will get the bells together. It would only be trouble if he's hungry. He won't be able to concentrate." Sasuke continued as he held his food aloft.

Sakura looked at her own food, thinking about what Sasuke just said and held it out to Naruto who immediately went teary-eyed at the action.

"Sakura…" He said with awe in his voice.

"Here, take it. I eat less than the two of you so eat it, quickly." She said and as I watched this turn of events I begin to count down from 20. That's all it's gonna take…

Naruto looked happy at the turn of events but his face suddenly let with realization.

"Um… well you see I have a problem…" Naruto said while trying to move his hands, which were still tied down. When Sakura saw that, her eyes bulged in annoyance and slight anger, especially after knowing what she would have to do.

"This is the only time I'm doing this for you!" She said through gritted teeth as she picked up a bit of food with her chopsticks. Naruto was beyond happy and just as Sakura was about to feed him that first bite I finished my countdown and there was a sudden blast of grey smoke in front of us, Kakashi suddenly appearing from it. He looked pissed off, well as pissed off as man could look with nearly all his face covered. Naruto and Sakura were freaking out, while Sasuke stayed ever the calm one, immediately going into a fighting position.

"You three! You broke my rule and now prepare for my punishment!" Kakashi shouted as he did some hand signs. The skies suddenly turned dark grey, thunder and lightning clashed and the ground shook with the force of an earthquake. To the others this was awe and fear inspiring, but I just stared at our surroundings with a deadpanned look.

"_Huh… This is new. Corny, flashy, and over the top, but still new_." I comment to Yukina as we watch the grounds become something akin to an apocalypse, though not nearly as catastrophic.

"_Well think about it, you never made it to the theatrics._ You _started to argue with him once he'd offered the ultimatum."_ She says.

"_Huh, you're right…"_ I say once I thought it over. I may have hated the dude that was in the situation much like Naruto's, but hell I grew up with a great sense of what was wrong and right, as well as being taught to stand up for what I believe in, and what Kakashi was pushing on my team wasn't fair, so I let it be known…

"_Come on! Turn your head! I can't see what's gonna happen."_ She told me and with a sigh I turn my head to the group.

Sakura was now in a fighting stance much like Sasuke's and Naruto was looking towards his teammates as if waiting for one of them to say something. Just so happened it was Sakura to be the one to open her mouth.

"Yeah! We three are one! And we fight as one!" She stated to Kakashi, standing her ground in a confident manner, although the girl was probably shaking like a leaf on the inside.

"Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! That's right! We're one!" Naruto yelled out, failing is arms and legs. Whoa, total déjà vu right there…

"You three are one, eh?" Kakashi said as he leaned in inches closer to them, his visible eye unreadable as he contemplates what they said with hands on hips. Then the skies suddenly turned back to normal and he smiled at them.

"You pass." He said with his smile and I could only smirk.

They went from ready-to-fight to dumbfounded in a matter of seconds and I couldn't help but start to laugh my ass off. The looks on their faces was priceless. They didn't seem to notice it though, or that I was even there for that matter. Kakashi had to actually repeat what he said because they didn't seem to get it. Afterwards Sakura asked why.

"Before I had idiots who'd just listened to what I said. Ninjas must think beyond the norm. Even though society considers those who break the rules scum, you can't help but break it once in a while, especially if you care for your friends. Those who don't are truly scum and don't deserve to become a shinobi by my standards." He says answering Sakura's question while looking over to the new genin, who were each happy in their own way.

"_Heh, nice speech."_ Yukina tells me and I only smirk.

"_No kidding."_ I tell her as I watch, looking at them thoughtfully.

"Well, well, you're the first to past my test since-" Kakashi starts but I finish for him.

"Yours truly!" I say and they look up at me each in their own different ways. Sakura looks completely shocked by the fact, Sasuke only raises an eyebrow and Naruto just gives me his infamous toothy grin with tears in his eyes.

"Congrats guys." I tell them with a smile and a tilt of my head.

"The seventh squad starts doing missions tomorrow! Training ends here!" Kakashi says with a thumbs-up sign.

"Not so fast Kakashi." I say and he looked up at me.

Don't get their hopes up just yet; I still have a job to do!" I say pointing a thumb towards myself and getting their attention back to me.

"Welcome to my training regimen! You'll be starting once you get used to doing missions." I say and they almost look slightly dejected about the little fact.

"Hey, don't worry, it'll be worth you're while, _If you make it out alive_." I say, thinking the last part in my mind. Yukina laughs at the last part, mumbling something about them not knowing what's gonna hit them. Hey, I'm not gonna go that bad on them, well in the beginning. These first three teams are my first students…

"Heh, that's right. Come on, let's go home." Kakashi said turning in the direction of the village.

He walked toward it, Sakura and Sasuke following behind him, trying to look all cool and what not like satisfied warriors walking into the horizon. It didn't take long for Naruto to start yelling after them, telling them to cut the rope. I sigh as I get off the log, cutting the rope on my way down. He looked for me toward the left side of the log but I glomped him from the right.

"Congratulations! I'm so proud of you!" I squeal. Yes, I can squeal on occasion, this being one of them. He blushed from my approval. I pull back and look at him.

"Come on. This calls for celebration. To Ichiraku's!" I say nodding my head in the direction Kakashi and the others went. His eyes light up and he gives me a million mega-watt toothy grin.

"Don't have to tell me twice!" He said and we break out into a run.

We catch up with others easily and once I'm close enough, I leap frog Kakashi and taunt him to chase after me and Naruto. He actually obliged, along with Sakura. Sasuke decided to keep at his own pace, mumbling something about babies, even though there was a big smirk one his face. I could care less anyway. The village had a new age in store for it with the new generation of ninja. I think the rookie nine are gonna be a very promising group, especially with the teachers they have along side them. Plus, I couldn't help but smile at the fact that this was also gonna be a new beginning for me as well, and these new beginnings are just the tip of the iceberg. I can just feel it…

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To Be Continued

**Serenity Angel:** Okay, I hope that this is much more informative the other chapter. This one wasn't all that bad to write either. Hope you guys like!


	6. First Session with Kai

**Serenity Angel:** Hey guys! Sorry this took so long. It was a long summer. And it's going to be a long year, but I will try and pump out chapters as soon as possible! Same goes for all my stories if you're reading the other. So let's just get into it.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto or its characters except Kaiyamei Hatake and others that will be introduced as the story goes on.

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**Kai P.O.V.**

I had to hand it to the new teams: They lasted way longer than I did doing D-ranked missions, which was a whole week. It was only two and a half days before I got bored and had what some would call the 'audacity' to demand higher ranked stuff.

Team seven had it the worse though: having a hyperactive knuckleheaded ninja who had a mouth bigger than the Five Great Nations combined that complained about the missions every chance he got… heh… that must have been at least slightly annoying, even if they agreed with him on the situation.

I alone held the power to get them out of the mundane routine, but me being me, let them sweat it out a week more. I had to deal with adjusting back to village life, as well as fix any and all loose ends that wouldn't mess with my training sessions, though I did deliberately avoid a couple of them. I also realized that if I were to properly train the teams, I would have to evaluate their skills first.

There were a good couple of reasons for this: First off, it has been eight years. Second I really only trained with Naruto, and Hinata and that cousin of hers from time to time, but it was mainly Naruto.

So through a flip of a coin it was decided that Kurenai's team got the honor of going first, followed by Asuma's team and last but not least Kakashi's "group of misfits" as Yukina "affectionately" called them. I really didn't mind. I had gotten through Kurenai's fairly quickly, finding that Kiba really need to back his bite up more with his bark. Shino was good with his talent, and Hinata was still shy as ever too, but they did work well together as a team. Just need to work on building their individual strength and skills.

Asuma's team was sort of a let down. Shika has smarts, there's no doubt about that, just needs to try harder and actually applying it. Ino… needs to work harder and Choji… Well let's just say he's a completely different story. And they really can't work together, like at all, so that definitely needs work as well.

And now for the fun group or at least the one I wanted to toy with most. After their latest mission I just told them to meet me at the training grounds the next day (knowing full well it was their day off) and left it at that. They all had mixed reactions to this request, (well command really) Naruto being the only excited one about it while the other two were confused. Even tried prying out what I had planned, using everything from flattery to bribery, but I kept my mouth shut and told him they'd have to find out together.

So now here I am, in the training grounds with the small pond among the scenery, doing some tai-chi warm-up exercises at the slowest pace I can muster while I waited for them to get their little butts over here.

"_You should have specified a time."_ Yukina muttered to me and I rolled my eyes in their closed sockets as I moved my arms with precision and control, shifting my position form my right leg to my left.

"_Eh, eh what's the rule?"_ I say as I move in another position, breathing in and exhaling deeply.

I just hear her echoing sigh and continue on, closing my eyes and doing a few more deep breaths, holding that position. I open my eyes suddenly and speed up the pace of my tai-chi, adding a few jabs and kicks into the mix. They had decided to show up sometime during the middle of this exercise and stood there watching. I did one more kick before stopping and taking in a slow steady breath of air, my back to the three of them.

"You're late." I tell them turning around.

Both Naruto and Sakura had similar looks of awe on their face while Sasuke still had his stoic, emotionless mask. He looked at me intently, like he was studying my very stance. Yeah, like that isn't weird or creepy. They looked at me confused once what I had told them reached their brains.

"You didn't specify a time." Sasuke said, hands in his pockets.

"_Told you."_ Yukina said with a slight smugness in her voice.

"_Shut up."_ I tell her.

"The element of surprise is everything in our way of life and a shinobi should be prepared for anything and that includes time. Oh and speaking of time, lets get one thing straight right now. I don't have Kakashi's sense of time. So _when_ I tell you to be somewhere by a certain time I'll be waiting." I say with a pleasant smile.

I really wasn't strict on the time thing. Only reason I would get mad at them for being late is if they came like six hours later than I had told them to or if we had an important mission to head off to. I gave them a reassuring smile, well more of a smirk. They smiled back and looked around, as if something was missing. Sakura was the first to look back at me, slightly confused.

"Where _is _Kakashi-Sensei?" she asked. My smirk kind of widened even more at the question.

"He'll be here later, more than likely after I'm finished with you three." I tell them. They accept the answer all though they look a little suspicious now of my intentions. Before the other two could ask anything Naruto piped up.

"So what are you gonna teach us Kai? Some super cool move that's only for Jonins? A life-saving technique? A stare that can render people unconscious with the slightest look?" He asked, shooting one question right after the other. I couldn't help but let out a laugh at his eagerness, giving him a smile before I answered him.

"No, actually… you guys are gonna be teaching me." I said and was met with three identical quizzical looks just like ever other time. I look at them with another smile and explain.

"You're each gonna fight me one on one. No weapons. No ninjustu. No genjutsu. No chakra. Just taijutsu."

"Well, what's the purpose of that?" Sakura asked.

"I get to know more about you and your skill levels." I say and they began to look even more confused, if that was even possible.

"With only taijustu? Doesn't that actually defeat the purpose if we don't use our other skills?" Sasuke asked which actually didn't surprise me that it was him asking.

"Not with me." I said with an all-knowing smirk that they couldn't understand. Before they could ask anything else I decided to get the show on the road. Maybe if we finish early enough, and they're not too sore, both mentally and egotistically, we could all get some lunch together.

"So who's gonna start?" I ask looking at each at them before my eyes landed on one person in particular.

"How 'bout you Sakura? Ladies first?" I say holding out a hand towards her in one of those formal butler fashions. She blinked once before smiling.

"Yeah." She said nodding in the affirmative and walking forward towards me.

The boys went to stand in the shades of some trees nearby so they wouldn't get caught in any crossfire. We meet in the middle of the field, going into immediate fighting stances when were only feet from each other. Once I find that we're both ready, I nod at her to begin and she comes at me fast with a fist to the face. Amateur move. I block it easy, which she just shakes it off, going at a side sweep of my legs with one of her own. I dodge it easily and throw a punch at her. She back-flipped out the way before it could land then comes back at me again. At this point it becomes totally fast pace, but her moves are easy enough to read.

"_So how's she fairing?"_ Yukina decides to ask me sometime during the fight. I dodge another one of Sakura's punches before answering.

"_Pretty well. Controls her movements and force to an exact science. Doesn't overexert at all. Most definitely means she's a good chakra controller, but beyond that I don't think she has anything special justu-wise. She's got brains, yes, but I think she's just limiting herself to chakra control and whatever is in her rank range. She's definitely going to need a few extra pushes."_ I say as I go for one of her legs but end up dodging an oncoming fist.

"_I see…"_ Yukina said and I could hear a satisfied tone in her echoing voice.

"_You know you've gotten well at predicting a person through their movements. I'm proud."_ She added and I could hear the smile in her voice. On the outside I smirked, which thankfully Sakura mistook for cockiness.

"_You should be, after all you were the one that taught it to me."_ I tell Yukina and she made a disagreeing sound.

_"That skill isn't something that can be taught. You picked up on it really well though…"_ She said, this time her voice carried the air of someone that was impressed.

"_Ok. I think that's enough with her. Finish it."_ She said and I only smirk.

"_Hai!"_

I waited for the right opening and when she had a punch aimed for my stomach I grabbed her arm and twisted it ever so slightly before taking it with me and pinning it behind her back, cutting off her ability to move any further. The look of shock on her face told me she never saw it coming and I just smiled at her.

"Good. Very good." I say letting go of her arm and bowing. She bowed as well and we come up at the same time.

"You fight with a lot of control. That's good, I like that. You can rest." I tell her and she walks over to the boys who I zero in my sight on.

"So who's next?" I ask them looking at Naruto first, then Sasuke.

"_Save the best for last."_ Yukina piped in and I worked hard not to furrow my eyebrows on the outside.

_"And that would be…"_ I ask.

They were both going to be interesting fights, even if they weren't exactly official ones. Naruto undoubtedly grew from time we kids messing around at the park or at one of the other training fields. I so wanted to see how he improved! And then there was the Uchiha, who was not only the last, but a prodigy. That thought itself had me itching for the fight. But before I could choose which of the two I would fight later, Yukina answered for me.

"_The Uchiha today. _I_ can even feel his strength. And we both know my current little situation. I think he promises to be a longer and much more interesting fight that Sakura and Naruto combined."_ She said and I tried hard not to pout on the outside, but more than likely Yukina felt the emotion.

"_Hey don't get my wrong. Even though Naruto has the fox and he has grown, you've fought him before many a time..."_ She said and I sighed. She was right there.

"_Ok, ok."_ I told her in agreement. I look over to Naruto and smirk.

"Ok hot-shot you're next." I told him.

"Me?" he said pointing to himself.

"Yeah! Show me what you got! Let's see if you stand a chance this time 'round!" I say taunting him, wagging my finger in a "come hither" motion to complete the effect. Naruto walks over to me smirking and I return it with a smirk of my own as I go into a fighting stance. I could see the mix of eagerness and worry on his face as he stood in front of me, going into a fighting stance of his own. He stood waiting for my signal and I let out another smirk.

"Don't hold back on me." I say. He returned my smirk, squaring his shoulders.

"I don't plan to." He says and before I could even shout 'go' he comes at me with full force.

I block his first attack but then he came at me with another hit fast and I almost didn't catch that one in time. Almost. We break apart and go back to fighting stances. I have to admit, I felt pure shock from those first two attacks alone and it probably showed on my face. I quickly turn it into a smirk and this time I went after him. I fake a punch, which he fell for, and swipe at his legs, making him fall to the ground. I look at him with another smirk in place, wagging my finger and making a "tsk tsk" noise to go with it.

"Rule number one: Never let your guard down. Didn't I always say that?" I ask with my hands on my hips and a tilt of the head. He narrows his eyes at me, but not in a menacing way, more like a playful manner, a knowing manner.

"You should," He started and I sensed his body tensing but I really paid no mind to that, just on what he was going to tell me.

"Really follow your own advice!" He finishes and practically jumps me with an attack, though I manage to dodge, even if it was just barely and face him for his next attack.

All too soon we drown out the rest of the world and it really truly felt like I never left. It was just like when we were kids again just messing around on the training grounds. It was almost as if I was teaching him something new again, or if we were just trying to see who was stronger. I wouldn't have ever remembered it was a test of skills if Yukina hadn't piped up again.

"_How's it goin_?" She asked me and I had to bite back a smile from showing on the outside as I go for a round house kick, only for him to actually dodge it.

"_Really well. There's definitely a difference. I can feel a much stronger sense of determination emancipating from him, not to mention his strength went up a good couple of notches. Sure he's still cocky and still hyperactive, but that wouldn't make him Naruto if he wasn't! He still isn't too good on chakra control, but he has potential, much more than I felt when we were younger. But the biggest plus is that he's still the same old Naruto. I'm so glad!"_ I tell her and I almost felt like I was babbling about him to her, but I could care less. Especially when he had a good onslaught of punches coming my way.

"_I can see that… I can also feel the fox's power… It's stronger than when he was younger..."_ Yukina and I could sense something between worry and cautiousness in her voice.

"_Seal's still in tack. Nothing to worry about."_ I say assuring her and doing an easy back flip from one of Naruto's kicks.

"_Yeah, yeah… so… how long you've been at it with him?"_ She asked and I could almost see her doing the nail check thing, knowing she already knew what I was gonna say.

"_Umm… I don't remember."_ She sighed and I almost laughed. See? I don't fail to disappoint.

"_Yeah… it's about time you end this one."_ She said and I swear I let out a genuine pout at that, but luckily Naruto was too busy trying to kick my butt to notice.

"_B-but…"_ I started, like a little kid that was told to go to bed way too early. I was really looking forward to sparring with Naruto again, even if this was just taijutsu.

"_There will be other times, and those won't include it being a test. Give him a rest already."_ She told me and I sighed.

Like with Sakura, I waited for one particular move and before he knew it, Naruto was on the ground with me sitting on his back, bending his leg back in a not so comfortable position. Okay, let's say a very uncomfortable position.

"Say uncle!" I tell him smirking, my grip on his leg tight.

"Never!" He says with all the determination in the world. I just bent his leg back a little farther and then he let out a yelp.

"Ok, ok! UNCLE!" He screamed.

I let go then, getting off of his back and lent out a hand to help him, smiling. He took my hand, letting me pull him up and he couldn't help but smile back at me.

"Still needs a little work, but you've improved. I'm proud!" I tell him and his smile got even wider.

"Go take a rest." I say ruffling his hair as he passes me and takes a seat over by the treat where Sakura and Sasuke are resting.

I look at Sasuke and motion for him to come forth.

"Last but not least." I mumble as he walks over to me slowly with his hands in his pockets.

He looks at me and I can immediately tell he's sizing me up yet again. I don't even let this faze me. Hell he wasn't the first I had to apparently prove myself to and he definitely won't be the last. I could care less about attempting to entertain the expectations of an Uchiha.

Once he's near enough I go into a fighting stance with yet another smirk. I wouldn't be surprised at the end of the day if it became a permanent look on my face. I could honestly say that this was one fight I was looking forward to. It wasn't everyday I got to fight a member of a kekkei genkai clan. And no, Kakashi didn't even count. Hell, what I really got a kick out of was the fact that I would be teaching this kid. If at all possible, my smirk got wider at the thought.

He goes into a fighting stance as well, waiting for my call. Everything suddenly went quiet after that, like the world around us was holding it's breath in anticipation for this match to get underway. I give him a short nod and he comes at me quickly with a kick to my side but I deflect it and the sudden punch he had aimed at my chest. I decide to go at him with a punch of my own, only for him to dodge it, grab my arm and throw me at a tree. I managed to ground myself before he had me airborne for too long. I flip away from him and go into a fighting stance again, the both of us circling the grounds like it was a sumo-wrestling ring. He gives me a smirk, a facial expression that must be his trademark and I return it before we both go at it again. He was fast, faster than the pace Naruto had me at just a while ago and definitely faster than having Naruto and Sakura paired against me. Thing was, I was just as fast, if not faster and the whole match was one of speed and almost deadly accuracy. I'll even admit he gave a nick here or maybe a scratch there, but nothing solid, and the same went with me. He was pretty tough to catch, but that just made the match more interesting for me. I couldn't help but wonder what would happen when his kekkei genkai actually develops.

"_See, what'd I tell you_?" Yukina asked, interrupting my little thought.

"_You're right. The last prodigy of the Uchiha's… He overexerts a little when he doesn't need to but he has a lot of strength and potential and I think that's a double-edge sword with him."_ I say as I block one of Sasuke's attacks with my left forearm and go in with my right for an attack.

"_Oh?"_ Yukina said, surprised by this observation.

"_Yeah. I didn't get the greatest of vibes from this guy from the get-go… Like he thirsts for something, thriving on that need to have it… I think he's the type that'll do anything to reach his full potential fast… I'm definitely gonna keep an eye on him."_ I say, keeping in my frown as I block some low kicks and going for a high kick of my own. I suddenly heard a chuckle from Yukina and I almost raised an eyebrow at the sound.

"_This one may be the death of you_._"_ She said jokingly and I wanted to give her the biggest deadpanned look.

"_Heh, not even. I'm far stronger than him. He has a ways to go to even reach a fifth of my level."_ I tell her with all the seriousness in the world. He's doing well now, but then again, it is a test and I'm not exactly wasting unnecessary energy for a test.

"_Cocky, aren't we?"_ Yukina said and I could hear the smug little smirk in her voice.

"_I have no reason to be so. He may be an Uchiha but I'm an ANBU captain, have been for a good while too. Hell, I might be stronger than the Hokage himself, but in all seriousness, this one is… different. I need to have a talk with Kakashi about him. He and Naruto will be my main focus from this group. I'll try my best not to neglect Sakura but I don't know what will happen… You know, it's weird. These two are like fire and ice."_ I tell her only for her to let out a laugh at that. Needless to say I was confused.

_"Remind you of someone?" _She asked with pure humor in her voice.

_"Should it?"_ I ask thinking about the question. No one really came to mind at the moment.

"_Yeah, it should. But it's okay for now. I'll remind you later. End the fight_." Yukina said, retaining some seriousness by the end of her last statement.

_"Right." _I said and just like before I waited for the right mistake on their part before putting in an extra move to get them pinned.

This time I had the Uchiha in a headlock and jut like the other times he didn't even see it coming. Unlike the others however, he didn't let the shock show on his face, though he completely was. I gave him a couple of brownie points for keeping his cool. I let him go with another smirk (seriously, my face will end up staying like that by the end of the day.) and do a quick dip of my head before walking over to the others. I didn't feel him follow and just ignored it, even though I did feel calculating eyes boring into my back. Hey, if he wants to say something, he can just come out and say it. He doesn't seem the type to hold something back anyway. I look at the other two and smiled.

"Well, Kakashi's got quite the group on his hands. You guys are pretty good. Each one of you have your own skills and strengths that make the team work... That's pretty good. Okay so now-" I say but then I get suddenly interrupted.

"You were holding back." A male voice suddenly said. I stopped talking at the sudden interruption, blinking in surprise although it didn't show on my face. I look at the other two before turning back to the owner of that certain male voice.

"Come again?" I ask him, undoubtedly with a confused look on my face.

"You were holding back. Just now." He stated, not even asked. Stated. I couldn't help but look at him like he was stupid.

"Yeah, I was." I said like it was obvious.

"Why?" He asked suddenly and my face went back to that of one of confusion.

"What?" I asked, the confusion in my voice matching the confusion on my face.

"Why?" He asked again.

I looked at him, silently assessing if he was crazy or not. I looked him in his face. Holy crap, he's dead serious! Well two can play that game. I look at him with a serious look of my own. I feel Naruto and Sakura drifter closer to us, but I really could care less. Sakura looked pissed off before when I had Uchiha in a headlock so I bet she was cheering him on for the small act of defiance.

On the other hand I could feel that Naruto was pissed. I guess he didn't like the fact that the Uchiha was questioning me as much as I did. Honestly he really had no right. Who was he to question the way I worked? Naruto didn't even demand me to fight him at full strength, and he really, really, really, really, really wanted to. He knew I had reasons for doing what I did, since I used to do the same thing to him when I was younger. From those little spars, I'd advise him on what he needed to work on and whatever. So really, who did this guy think he was?

I looked at him and found that he was actually still waiting for an answer, so I turned to him fully, my mouth set in a thin line.

"You wouldn't last three minutes if I fought you full strength… And that's if I wanted to leave you breathing." I told him, my tone dead serious. He looked at me with a raised eyebrow and smirked.

"Cocky… I almost had Kakashi many times on the training mission." He states, and before he could add anything more to that statement I cut in.

"For one thing, I'm different from Kakashi. Extremely so. What he did and what I was doing are two very different things. You were fighting for your right as Genins with him. I was just assessing your skills just now. I'm not gonna fight full strength for that." I tell him, putting it in the simplest terms I can muster. He gives me a hard stare and I only stare back unwavering.

"If you really want to see what I can do then," he says going into a fighting stance.

"Fight me at full strength."

"_Hey! I see what he's trying to do! No! Do not, I repeat, do not let him tempt you!"_ Yukina says to me suddenly. I had realized this too, and I wasn't letting him get his way for a second.

"_I'm working on it."_ I tell her before addressing Sasuke again.

"I extremely advise against that… Not unless you want to loose a vital body part," I say in a mockingly sophisticated manner before letting it fall to a dark smirk.

"Or your life…" I could hear Sakura grinding her teeth together at my statement. Oh, did I strike a bad chord in her? Oh well, I could fix that later… if I remember.

_"Oooh, nice one. Play a little of that dark side into the mix."_ Yukina tells me, thoroughly impressed.

"_Hush up."_ I tell her. I was thoroughly irritated as it was right now, so I really didn't mean to snap at her and she knew that. Hell she is older than me, despite the dead thing, so of course she would put me in place quick. Plus she does inhabit my body and could do something if she was truly pissed off.

"_Hushing… For now."_ She said and I knew her voice held the promise of budding in sometime later.

"You just don't want to be showed up." He says and I raised my eyebrow at this comment.

"You just really have a death wish. It was just an assessment Sasuke. Leave it at that. I'll truly fight you when I'm actually training you. I'll be fighting you so much that you'll get sick of it." I tell him, trying to get back to my more playful side.

"I'd like to be the judge of that. Right here, right now. " He said and I just shook my head slightly before looking at him.

"No. And that's final." I tell him with a look of authority before turning back to look at Sakura and Naruto.

"So as I was saying-"

"Coward." My words stopped dead cold at that one word interruption and anger immediately just boiled with a fury in my body.

I know I must have heard wrong. But Naruto looked beyond pissed and worried at the same time while Sakura almost looked like she was silently cheering for Sasuke, so he must have said what I think he just said and those two had heard it. I turned around to look at the Uchiha heir, the death glare on my face not even able to magnify the intensity of the anger I felt. I know this duck-butt haired, pasty skinned, cocky asshole did not just call me a coward!

"What did you just say?" I said through gritted teeth.

"I called you a coward." He said smirking like he knew he just got what he wanted, not seeing any harm in his one little statement.

Oh, this stupid son of a bitch! He had the freaking audacity to repeat it too! He does not know who the hell he's dealing with! Ok, let it be known now that I have a _real_ problem with being called a coward. I guess you could say it fully developed during my time away, though it was there when I was still in the village. It's so bad a problem that the person who so much as utters that word to me doesn't end up making it after I'm through with them. I went through too much shit to be called a coward. Let alone by a lowly fucking Genin!

"Listen Genin-" I started turning fully toward the boy. Yukina must have sensed some serious danger in those two words for a certain someone because she was right by my ear (or rather in my mind) in the space of a heartbeat.

"_Kai! Don't do it!"_ She all but screamed in my head, but I didn't listen.

"Who the _fuck_ do you think you are? What gives you the right to say that to me?" I spat at him, fiery anger spreading through my veins.

"_Stop! Cease! Desist!"_ Yukina warned me, still trying to get me to stop, and I could almost see the red flags she was waving around to get my attention, but I still ignored her.

"If you want a fight so bad-"

"_KAI!"_ Yukina screamed, but it was too late.

"You've got one." I told him, a wind blowing by ominously once I finished my sentence.

"_Ah shit."_

**To Be Continued**

* * *

**Serenity Angel:** Okay guys, that was the fifth chapter of NTL. Chapter six is in the works. I'll try hard to get it out but I'm having slight complications with that. Hopefully it will be resolved soon. Well don't have much to say. Hoe you guys enjoyed it and see you again the next chapter! Reviews would be great! Bye!


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